TMC MP quits as Barasat district chief, cites poll rout, takes swipe at I-PAC

Cracks within the All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) appeared to deepen on Sunday as senior MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resigned as the party’s Barasat organisational district president, taking “moral responsibility” for the TMC’s crushing defeat in the West Bengal assembly polls while launching a sharp attack on the party’s evolving power structure and campaign machinery.

The resignation of the four-time Barasat MP comes days after she was removed as the TMC’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha and replaced by senior MP Kalyan Banerjee following the party’s poor electoral performance.

Though her resignation letter to state TMC president Subrata Bakshi formally cited accountability for the defeat in Barasat and parts of North 24-Parganas, its political undertone carried a far broader message — one widely interpreted as criticism of poll strategist I-PAC and the growing influence of a newer leadership ecosystem around party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

In a pointed message to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Ghosh Dastidar urged the party to return to its earlier style of “street politics” and reconnect with grassroots workers.

“Leader Mamata Banerjee, if you work with honest, old and dedicated workers as in earlier days, the party’s image will brighten again. Difficult tasks cannot be achieved through fly-by-night organisations,” she wrote.

Political observers saw the “fly-by-night organisations” remark as a veiled swipe at I-PAC, the election consultancy group closely linked to TMC’s recent campaign strategy.

The veteran MP also openly flagged concerns over corruption and criminalisation within the party — issues repeatedly raised by opposition parties during the election campaign.

“Recent incidents of crime and corruption in West Bengal have naturally created concern and apprehension among people. To strengthen democracy further, greater importance should be given to transparency, accountability, responsibility, decorum and values in politics,” she said in the letter.

Speaking later to reporters, Ghosh Dastidar intensified her criticism and accused the newer campaign apparatus of sidelining long-time party workers.

“I did not appoint I-PAC. But I saw how these young boys and girls behaved with full-time party workers like us. I have been a public representative here for 17 years. My office remained open round the clock for people,” she said.

The MP admitted that the election results reflected growing public anger.

“The results made it clear that people did not accept us. There has been criminalisation at every level in the party. I cannot accept the fact that the TMC’s tally has dropped to 80. I will continue as an ordinary worker,” she added.

In another remark likely to intensify political speculation, Ghosh Dastidar suggested that senior leaders had struggled to communicate directly with Mamata Banerjee in recent years.

“She remained too occupied over the last decade. It became difficult to even reach her by phone,” she reportedly told reporters.

Despite the criticism, the veteran MP later attempted to strike a conciliatory tone by reposting Mamata Banerjee’s message on X with the words: “Take charge, leader.”

A doctor-turned-politician, Ghosh Dastidar has long been associated with Mamata Banerjee’s political rise and is considered part of the TMC’s old guard. Apart from serving four terms as MP from Barasat, she also headed the party’s women’s wing and district organisation.

Her recent removal as chief whip had already hinted at internal unease. Soon after being replaced, she posted cryptically on social media that after “40 years of loyalty” to the party, she had finally received her “reward”.

Political analysts believe her resignation and unusually public criticism indicate that TMC’s post-election introspection may now spill into open factional conflict, complicating the leadership’s efforts to rebuild unity after one of the party’s worst electoral setbacks.

The TMC had not officially responded to her resignation till late Sunday.

With PTI inputs