Discontent Grows After the Poll Defeat
The fault lines inside the Trinamool Congress have begun to surface openly following the party's heavy loss in the West Bengal assembly election. In the latest setback, senior leader Manas Ranjan Bhunia — a former minister in the Mamata Banerjee government — has cut ties with the party. On Saturday he wrote to party chief Mamata Banerjee, announcing that he was stepping down from all his organisational positions as well as the party's primary membership. Bhunia himself confirmed that he had decided to end his association with the Trinamool Congress for good.
A Long Journey From Congress to Trinamool
The Sabang assembly seat in Paschim Medinipur district has long been the heart of Bhunia's political career. He has been elected MLA from there a total of seven times and was for years counted among the Congress's leading figures. Of those wins, six came on a Congress ticket from Sabang. In 2016 he parted ways with the Congress and joined the Trinamool Congress.
Tight-Lipped on the Real Reason
Bhunia did not spell out exactly why he was leaving. Hinting at his intentions, however, he said, 'A politician remains a politician till his last breath. I will keep working for the people of Sabang and West Bengal until my final breath.' Asked whether he was considering joining the BJP, he sidestepped a direct answer, saying, 'I have not taken any decision on this yet. I will decide going forward.'
A String of Electoral Setbacks
Recent elections have been unkind to Bhunia. In 2021 he won the Sabang seat on a TMC ticket, but in the 2026 assembly election he was defeated — this time by BJP candidate Amal Kumar Panda by a margin of more than 11,000 votes. Earlier, he had contested the Medinipur seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, where the BJP's then state president Dilip Ghosh handed him a defeat.
From Rajya Sabha MP to Cabinet Minister
Over his political career, Bhunia has held several key positions. He served as a TMC Rajya Sabha MP until 2021. After that, the Mamata Banerjee government entrusted him with charge of important departments, including Irrigation and Waterways, Small and Micro Industries, and Textiles.
Mamata's Confidant Sudip Bandyopadhyay Joins the Rebels
Meanwhile, senior MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay — long regarded as one of Mamata Banerjee's trusted aides in Parliament — now appears to be standing with the rebel camp as well. This group of dissident MPs is preparing to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to press their demand to be recognised in Parliament as the 'real Trinamool Congress'. On Saturday, Sudip Bandyopadhyay held a meeting with Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and rebel TMC MP Satabdi Roy. He also called on Home Minister Amit Shah.
