The TMC national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP, Abhishek Banerjee, attended a two-hour virtual meeting on Saturday with around 4,000 party functionaries straddling the grassroots and the top tier.
This was his first such large-scale political activity since May 2024, signaling his full-fledged return to leading the party organisation in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly elections.
During the meeting, Abhishek announced a new setup in the organisation to maintain round-the-clock vigilance on the electoral roll. He also informed party members about the return of poll consultancy group I-PAC to train party functionaries and stressed the removal of non-performers from the party. He also guided party members on strategies to fight next year's crucial Assembly election, a contest in which the BJP is determined to leave no stone unturned.
"We saw AB (Abhishek) in full force, just like when he led the party during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Every message he conveyed carried one clear message: AB is back. Even Subrata Bakshi acknowledged that Abhishek is our leader," said a senior TMC leader in Calcutta.
State TMC president Bakshi is said to be a member of the "old guard".
The TMC national general secretary had taken a "short hiatus" from organisational affairs in June last year, citing medical reasons. During this period, the party's organisational affairs, previously managed by Abhishek's office, became the responsibility of Bakshi's office.
In recent months, in multiple meetings with TMC MLAs, party supremo Mamata Banerjee indicated that she would be the final authority on organisational matters, creating the impression that Abhishek had been sidelined in party affairs.
"However, Saturday's meeting dispelled that impression and confirmed that Abhishek will once again take charge of the organisation," said a party insider.
"It is significant that his team and I-PAC would visit districts to train leaders on how to scrutinise electoral rolls. He also involved Bakshi da in the process. These are considered to be the moves that clarified that the relationship between Mamata and Abhishek is no longer strained," the insider added.
Several leaders expressed relief that the perceived tension between the party's top two leaders had been resolved.
"So far, everything was controlled from Bakshi da's office. Now it's clear that Abhishek's office will resume its previous role. Party workers need not be confused anymore," said a TMC insider.
Some leaders said they realised Abhishek’s return to active politics when the district-level committee, formed by Bakshi during the March 6 meeting, was abandoned, and the party announced that Abhishek would convene a mega meeting on March 15.
During Saturday's meeting, Abhishek announced plans to establish an organisational structure from the district to booth level, specifically tasked with scrutinising the electoral roll until the 2026 elections.
"The BJP tactfully enrolled 39 lakh voters in Maharashtra’s electoral rolls within four months. They also added false voters in Delhi. We must remain vigilant to prevent such conspiracies (in Bengal)," Abhishek was quoted as saying during the meeting.
Mamata's heir-apparent set a deadline for forming district, block, town and panchayat-level committees to oversee the voter list issue. He announced that an electoral roll supervisor (ERS) would be appointed for each block, town, panchayat and municipal/ corporation ward by April 14.
"The party will launch its electoral roll drive on April 16, continuing throughout the year. These posts are not temporary positions," a leader quoted Abhishek as saying.
Abhishek explained how the voter list is updated and said that once ERS appointments are made, teams from I-PAC and his office will visit districts to conduct training camps for leaders in each Assembly constituency.
Abhishek claimed internal conflicts had cost the TMC several seats in districts like Hooghly and East Midnapore. He urged leaders to work together to ensure better results in the 2026 polls.
