After the TMC faced an electoral setback, party chief Mamata Banerjee called on candidates to revive the organisation and said those unwilling to stay with the party could leave. On Friday at her Kalighat residence, Mamata Banerjee held a meeting alongside the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. She expressed confidence that the party would recover despite the heavy electoral loss

The meeting at Kalighat was convened for candidates who had contested the elections on the party's ticket amid reports of internal discontent and speculation over possible defections after the electoral debacle.

"Those who are leaving for other parties, let them go. I will rebuild the party afresh. To those who are staying, I say rebuild the damaged party offices, paint them and reopen them. If needed, I too will paint them. Trinamool Congress will never bow down. People's mandate has been looted," Banerjee was quoted as saying by party sources.

The remarks came days after the TMC was reduced from the ruling party to the opposition benches following a dramatic reversal in electoral fortunes.

Of the 294 assembly seats in the state, the party managed to win only 80.

Mamata Banerjee herself suffered defeat in Bhabanipur, long considered her political bastion.

The TMC contested 291 of the state’s 294 assembly seats, while its ally, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha led by Anit Thapa, fought in the remaining three constituencies in the Darjeeling hills. The party secured victories in just 80 seats, with 211 candidates suffering defeats, among them several senior leaders and ministers.

The meeting echoed Banerjee's remarks made a day after the results were declared. Addressing a press conference on May 5, the party supremo had said she was aware that some leaders might switch camps.

"I know many will leave for other parties. They may have their own compulsions. I have nothing to say about that. Whoever wants to go may go. I do not believe in forcibly holding anyone back," she had said.

The TMC's official X handle later posted photographs of the meeting and praised the contesting candidates for their fight during the election campaign.

"Today, our Hon'ble Chairperson @MamataOfficial and our Hon'ble National General Secretary @abhishekaitc met with our contesting candidates at Kalighat. They fought with unmatched courage despite facing unimaginable atrocities and relentless intimidation.

"The Trinamool Congress stands united as one family. We will never bow before those who loot the people's mandate. Truth will prevail," the party posted on X on Friday.

The post also reiterated the party's charge that the electoral mandate had been "stolen", a claim repeatedly raised by TMC leaders after the poll results.

Party insiders said Banerjee used the meeting to boost the morale of candidates who had contested the polls and send a message of unity amid a difficult phase for the organisation.