In a politically significant development, TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and several party MLAs on Tuesday attended an administrative meeting chaired by Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari in Kalyani, amid growing speculation over dissent within the ruling party.

The meeting reviewed development and welfare works in Nadia, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts, with MPs and MLAs from the three districts invited to participate, officials said.

Apart from Ghosh Dastidar, TMC MLAs Anisur Rahman, Abdul Matin and Bina Mondal were also present at the meeting alongside administrative officials.

Speaking to reporters before entering the meeting, Ghosh Dastidar said, “It is not any party programme. It is an administrative programme, and administration is for all.”

Echoing the sentiment, BJP MLA Sajal Ghosh said, “This government is not only for the BJP; this government is for all. So, Opposition should have some space in democracy.”

Officials said the meeting focused on the implementation of welfare schemes and development projects at the grassroots level.

“The chief minister has been holding district-level administrative meetings regularly to monitor progress and address bottlenecks in governance,” an official said.

The presence of TMC leaders at a meeting chaired by the opposition leader drew attention as such cross-party participation in administrative programmes has been rare in West Bengal’s political landscape.

The development also comes days after Ghosh Dastidar resigned as president of the TMC’s Barasat organisational district and publicly criticised the party leadership over the role of political consultancy firm I-PAC.

In her resignation letter to state TMC president Subrata Bakshi, she wrote: “My appeal to leader Mamata Banerjee is that if you work with the dedicated, old workers just like in the past, it will brighten the party’s image. I do not think difficult work can be accomplished through fly-by-night agencies.”

She had also raised concerns over governance issues in the state, saying, “Recent alarming incidents of crime and corruption in West Bengal have naturally raised questions and anxieties in the minds of the general public.”

A day after being replaced as the TMC’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Ghosh Dastidar had posted on social media: “Acquainted since ’76, the journey began in ’84. Today, I have been rewarded for four decades of loyalty.”

Her appearance at Tuesday’s meeting has further fuelled speculation over unease within sections of the TMC, although neither the party leadership nor the MP has indicated any political realignment.