The fall of the twin flowers: How Mamata Banerjee lost control of her party

West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) is facing an unprecedented crisis following its electoral defeat, as internal fractures threaten Mamata Banerjee’s grip on power. The party’s humiliation in Falta—a historic stronghold—highlighted its collapse, with the TMC finishing fourth behind the BJP, CPM, and Congress. Jahangir Khan, the TMC candidate, withdrew from the repoll campaign despite his name remaining on the ballot, sealing the BJP’s victory. The defeat triggered panic within the party, as legislators openly rebelled against Banerjee’s leadership for the first time. A group of MLAs, led by Ritabrata Banerjee—a former Communist Party of India (Marxist) member who later joined the TMC—challenged her authority, demanding control over the opposition leader post. They accused Banerjee of irregularities in the selection process, forcing the speaker to order an inquiry that validated their claims. Banerjee had proposed Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the opposition leader role, but the rebels, now calling themselves the principal opposition, insisted on selecting their own candidate. Sandipan Saha, a rebel MLA, justified the move as necessary for effective legislative work, arguing that Banerjee’s exclusion of dissenting voices had crippled the party’s functionality. The rebellion mirrors past splits in regional parties like Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena and NCP, where factions prioritized legislative strength over organizational loyalty. Ritabrata Banerjee, once a vocal admirer of Banerjee’s leadership, now leads the dissent, raising parallels with Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar’s defiance against their former allies. The TMC’s internal war reflects broader challenges for regional parties navigating power shifts, where survival depends on adapting to new political realities.