“Will you accept the challenge?” a visibly animated Mamata Banerjee was heard asking in English to thousands of her party workers assembled at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata. The challenge she referred to was countering the BJP‘s electoral machinery, which the West Bengal Chief Minister believes is engaged in an organised attempt—allegedly in collusion with Election Commission officials—to manipulate electoral rolls. With clarion calls of ‘Abar Khela Hobe’, Mamata outlined four key pillars of this new ‘khela,’ primarily aimed at securing the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) return to power in the upcoming assembly election.
Alongside her, Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata’s nephew and MP from Diamond Harbour, put to rest all speculation about a possible power tussle within the family. Demonstrating a touch of theatrics, Abhishek declared that even if someone cut his throat, he would continue to chant TMC’s name. He asserted that Mamata would once again become Chief Minister and ambitiously set a target of 215+ seats in the 294-member assembly.
Traditionally, TMC unveils its annual strategy on July 21 during its Shahid Diwas meeting. However, with the BJP in red-hot form following a stunning reversal of fortunes after its underwhelming performance in the last Lok Sabha elections, the TMC appears keen to mobilize early. For the BJP, Bengal remains a final frontier where it sees a realistic chance of victory. After dismantling the stoic resistance of Arvind Kejriwal, several BJP leaders have publicly stated that Bengal is the next big prize. The party previously managed to humble another regional leader, Uddhav Thackeray, in a rather anticlimactic Maharashtra election.
Mamata, however, attributes the BJP’s growing dominance to alleged electoral roll manipulation. Rather than making blanket accusations, the West Bengal CM provided specifics, claiming that two agencies—Association of Billion Minds and India 360—are being used by the BJP to tamper with voter lists. She alleged that voters from Haryana and Gujarat are being added to Bengal’s rolls.
Interestingly, this claim aligns with Rahul Gandhi’s allegations about electoral fraud affecting the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) performance in Maharashtra. It appears that the INDIA bloc is shifting its strategy—moving away from broad opposition to electronic voting machines (EVMs), which has received lukewarm voter response, toward a more targeted accusation of electoral roll fraud. Mamata hinted that the party would escalate the issue politically in the coming days, strategically linking it to the new Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s purported closeness with Amit Shah.
As for Abhishek Banerjee, the symbolism of being felicitated by Firhad Hakim and Arup Biswas did not go unnoticed. Political insiders have long speculated about tensions between Abhishek and Firhad, with Abhishek’s office having filed a fraud complaint against Hakim’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) last year. However, for now, the two leaders seem to have buried their differences. Abhishek’s clarification that he is not launching a new party and his criticism of the media for sensationalism come at a time when he has been actively carving a niche for himself. His flagship health initiative, Sebaashray, often operates parallel to the state’s existing healthcare facilities, with Abhishek even arranging medical treatment for patients in Bengaluru and other cities. This outreach, though commendable, has got tongues wagging. His relative silence during the RG Kar hospital protest last year was also noted. Furthermore, reports had emerged that Mamata in a closed-door meeting had reminded elected representatives that she remains the final decision-maker in key matters. Notably, she recently clarified that her actual age is five years younger than her official records indicate—interpreted by many as a move to preempt any discussions of generational transition within the party.
With growing divisions between TMC’s old guard and the new wave, Abhishek attempted to quell speculation by firmly stating that Mamata would continue as CM. Abhishek also cautioned leaders against demonstrating hubris. He also issued a stern warning against internal dissent, vowing to identify and expel those working against TMC’s interests. Abhishek claimed credit for first identifying Mukul Roy and Suvendu Adhikari as potential turncoats.
Mamata reciprocated by publicly acknowledging Abhishek’s role in party organization and urging leaders to coordinate with IPAC (Indian Political Action Committee). Historically, TMC’s relationship with IPAC has been complex. While the organization helped the party revam p itself after BJP’s gains in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections—famously launching the Didi Ke Bolo initiative—many leaders resented political consultants dictating terms. However, Mamata decisively addressed this, clarifying IPAC’s association with Prashant Kishore. Since leveraging IPAC for political restructuring was largely Abhishek’s initiative, Mamata’s endorsement sends a strong message to the party ranks.
TMC has maintained power for over a decade and a half through potent social engineering and strong organizational structures. However, a crucial factor in countering anti-incumbency has been its efficient implementation of welfare schemes like Lakshmir Bhandar, ensuring a loyal base of women voters. BJP’s strategy of Hindu consolidation threatens to erode this voter bloc. Thus, two of Mamata’s four ‘Abar Khela’ doctrines focussed on reinforcing voter outreach and preempting any local communal tensions. With a touch of rhetorical flourish, Mamata declared that outsiders would not be allowed to dictate Bengal’s politics and, if necessary, the state would witness a ‘Notun Jagoron’ (cultural reawakening). This reiterates TMC’s long-standing strategy of positioning the BJP as a party of outsiders—a narrative the party is expected to use again in the 2026 elections.
With Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari intensifying the Hindu-Muslim rhetoric, the battle lines for Bengal are clearly drawn. The incumbents have shown their cards; it is now up to the challengers to outwit them.