Holding the flock together | Mamata reaches out to rebels as TMC battles further fragmentation

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has launched efforts to prevent further exodus from the party following the first split in its 28-year history, personally reaching out to rebel legislators even as senior leaders work to hold together the flock that appears increasingly restless after the post-poll rupture. Sources in the party said Banerjee has over the past two days spoken to several MLAs from Howrah, Murshidabad and North Dinajpur, many of whom were seen attending meetings of the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel camp after 58 legislators seized control of the TMC legislature party and installed the expelled MLA as the leader of the opposition. The calls come at a time when the TMC founder finds herself in the unfamiliar position of fighting to retain leaders she had once handpicked and politically nurtured. "She is speaking to legislators individually and asking them to attend a meeting at Kalighat on Friday. The effort is to keep communication channels open and explore the possibility of reconciliation," a senior TMC leader said.

According to party insiders, parallel damage-control exercises are underway in Parliament as well. Two trusted TMC MPs -- one each from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha -- have reportedly been tasked with contacting party colleagues and persuading them not to abandon the organisation for the "new Trinamool" being built by the Ritabrata Banerjee camp. The outreach reflects growing concern within the remaining TMC leadership that the Assembly rebellion could spill over into Parliament and local bodies if not contained quickly. The developments underline the extraordinary reversal confronting Banerjee, who built the TMC in 1998 as a one-woman political movement and kept it largely free of serious internal rebellions for nearly three decades.

While the rebel camp has projected the split as a battle against the growing influence of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, it has simultaneously sought to retain Mamata Banerjee as a symbolic and ideological anchor -- a contradiction that has begun exposing strains within the dissident bloc itself. A day after wresting control of the legislature party, the rebels showed signs of discomfort over attempts to redefine Banerjee's role. Several MLAs publicly insisted that she must remain the party's supreme leader and not be reduced to the status of an adviser. "We were told that the party would continue under Mamata Banerjee's leadership. She is not merely an adviser. We want the party to function under her leadership," rebel MLA Gulshan Mullick had told reporters after a meeting of the dissident legislators.

The remarks highlighted the delicate balancing act facing the rebels -- distancing themselves from Abhishek Banerjee while preserving their political association with the leader who remains the most popular face of the organisation. Political observers said those sentiments may have encouraged the TMC leadership to intensify efforts to win back fence-sitters before loyalties harden into a permanent realignment. "The rebels have numbers, but they do not yet have emotional ownership of the party's legacy. Mamata Banerjee remains the strongest political and emotional glue within the organisation. The TMC leadership appears to be trying to exploit that contradiction," a Kolkata-based political analyst said.

Meanwhile, the Ritabrata Banerjee camp continued efforts to consolidate its position. A day after being recognised as Leader of Opposition, Ritabrata held a meeting with the 58 rebel MLAs at the Assembly and later led a delegation to meet the state Director General of Police over alleged harassment of party workers loyal to the dissidents. The camp is also closely monitoring Friday's meeting at Banerjee's Kalighat residence, viewing attendance figures as a key indicator of whether the TMC chief still retains the ability to influence legislators who have formally crossed over.

For Mamata Banerjee, the battle is no longer merely about recovering control of a legislature party she once commanded effortlessly. It is increasingly about preserving the organisation she built from scratch and preventing further fragmentation at a moment when the party's future leadership, ideological direction and political identity are all being contested simultaneously. Nearly three decades after creating the TMC around her own political persona, Banerjee now faces perhaps the most difficult challenge of her career -- keeping the party together when many of those who once stood closest to her are no longer standing in the same camp.