The backroom bunch

After the 2004 Lok Sabha polls,Trinamool Congress President Mamata Banerjee was pushed to the margins of political wilderness.

After the 2004 Lok Sabha polls,Trinamool Congress President Mamata Banerjee was pushed to the margins of political wilderness. She managed to retain only her own seat. Then Trinamool lost the Kolkata municipal corporation polls in 2005 and the 2006 Assembly,when the party was reduced to just about 30 seats out of 294.

The gradual but steady desertions from the rank and file were like salt to injury. But a handful stayed back by her side,forming a core group to begin from scratch. While the party has always been a one-woman show,a small group of loyalists,often obscure and working from behind,egged her on. They stood amidst the ruins to get her the glory that is hers now.

The group is a mix of ex-corporates,doctors,a quizmaster and a few fresh political faces. It includes people like Mukul Roy,Partho Chatterjee,Derek OBrien,Madan Mitra,Subrata Bakshi,Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar,Gautam Ghosh and Dinesh Trivedi.

Subrata Bakshi

The Trinamool president who has been with Mamata since the inception of the party,is a former employee of the State Bank of India. Mamatas chief election agent,he was MLA from Bishnupur in 2001 and represents Chowringhee now.

Partho Chatterjee

Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Legislative Assembly,he was General Manager with Andrew Yule amp; Co before joining the TMC. Chatterjee,who had an earlier stint with Mamata during her Chhatra Parishad days,is a two-term MLA.

Mukul Roy

A Rajya Sabha member,he lost the Assembly elections in 2001. Roy is the partys coordinator with the Election Commission and is a long-time associate of Mamata who followed her when she broke away from the Congress.

Derek OBrien

A quizmaster and now an integral part of Mamatas think-tank,OBrien,whose brother Barry is a CPIM MLA,is instrumental in organising seminars,political debates and panel discussions on behalf of the party. Both OBrien and Partho Chatterjee are considered the most industry-friendly faces in the TMC. OBrien began his career as a sports journalist and was creative director of a national advertising agency for a few years before moving on to quizzing. I am just a Trinamool kormi worker. During my initial interaction with her,I was impressed by her honestly and zeal to fight the CPIMs oppressive regime. I have been with her in ups and downs, said OBrien.

Gautam Basu

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One of Mamatas closest aides,Basu died 11 months ago in a flash flood at the Bengal-Orissa border. He served as her special assistant for three terms when she became union minister.

Suvaprassana

A renowned painter,Suvaprassana has been lending support to Mamata since 2007 and has been a link with the civil society that participated in a huge way in the Nandigram and Singur agitations.