CM Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee may be given a larger role.
New Delhi: Following its electoral victory in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress is looking forward to overhaul its organisational structure in Bengal in the coming weeks, keeping in mind the upcoming local body elections in the state and the party’s larger aim of the 2024 general elections in India.
According to sources in the TMC, a meeting will be held with the presence of all the MLAs, MPs, district presidents and all other post holders of the party, including the Yuva Morcha and the Mahila Morcha wing of the TMC.
This meeting, which is to be held on 5 June in Kolkata, will be chaired by Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee along with her nephew and Lok Sabha MP from Diamond Harbour Abhishek Banerjee.
Sources in the TMC have said that the TMC supremo has asked all the district presidents to bring in reports from their respective districts about the party’s performance in the recently concluded elections. The TMC chief is also likely to take stock of the Assembly segments where the party could not win this time and dwell upon the reasons as to why the party could not win elections in those Assembly segments this time around.
A TMC district president who did not wish to be named told The Sunday Guardian: “We have been asked to prepare booth-wise reports of the electoral performance in our districts and submit it at the TMC bhawan before the meeting is scheduled on 5 June. A thorough study will be conducted on the reports of the election results in order to gauge organisational strengths and weaknesses of the party to frame future policy of the TMC.” Sources in the TMC have also confirmed that following the 5 June meeting, a handful number of district presidents are likely to be changed along with some changes which are likely to be seen in the Yuva Morcha wing of the TMC.
“Based on the election results, some of the district presidents who could not deliver on the promised projected seats from their districts will be removed. Some leaders who are holding on to their posts and have cases of corruption or malpractices against them, will also be asked to go. Didi will take a final call on the day of the meeting. But expect some overhaul at the district levels within the party,” a senior TMC leader told this correspondent.
The TMC is also likely to bring in a policy of “one man, one post” and some ministers who are holding on to organisational posts of the party will likely be removed and fresh faces are likely to be inducted into the party’s organisational structure.
Sources also said that Abhishek Banerjee could also be given a larger responsibility within the party to help build the party’s acceptability and wider reach among the youth and, moreover, to strategize for the party during the 2024 general elections. “Many leaders have credited Abhishek Banerjee for the victory of the TMC in Bengal this time and most likely you will witness that Abhishek Banerjee will start playing a bigger role in the party and Didi is likely to reward him with a bigger organisational post. Also remember, the TMC is hoping to go to Delhi in 2024 and with that aim in mind, the party also believes that Abhishek could help be the captain of that ship organizationally,” the senior TMC leader quoted above told this newspaper.