Can Didi stop the Trinamool exodus?

Twenty Trinamool Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha defected to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on June 8, reducing the party’s parliamentary strength to just eight members. The breakaway group, led by four-time MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, met at the Delhi residence of BJP leader Bhupender Yadav, who serves as the party’s observer for West Bengal. Also present was West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, while Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee was in New Delhi for an INDIA bloc meeting at the time. The defections mirror a similar split in the Trinamool’s legislative party in West Bengal, where 60 of 80 MLAs rebelled earlier. Unlike those MLAs, who remained in opposition, the Lok Sabha MPs chose to align with the ruling NDA. The rebellion began after Ritabrata Banerjee’s coup in the Assembly, where rebel MLAs declared themselves the main opposition. Kakoli, a senior Trinamool leader since the party’s inception, had previously criticized the party leadership and resigned from her posts post-election. The eight MPs remaining loyal to Mamata Banerjee include her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, Saugata Roy, and Mahua Moitra. Kakoli stated the defection was driven by public mandate and national development priorities, claiming she had fought alongside Banerjee for 20 years before joining the party in 2011. The split underscores Banerjee’s declining influence, as veterans like Kakoli—who served under her for decades—now oppose her leadership. Analysts note the defections reflect Trinamool’s weakened state since its May 2024 electoral loss in West Bengal. The party’s collapse in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha signals a broader erosion of Banerjee’s political capital, with even long-time allies turning against her. The NDA’s gains in Bengal further isolate her nationally, as regional powerhouses like Trinamool fracture under internal dissent.