As Abhishek Banerjee sets off on Bengal yatra, why TMC is betting on it to be a ‘game changer’ before Assembly polls

According to the TMC, during his yatra Abhishek would highlight the three-term Mamata government’s “accomplishments” on various fronts, especially its welfare schemes, besides its “role in upholding Bengal’s culture, language and identity”.

Party insiders said that “Abhishek will declare that Bengal will rise against BJP’s attempts to suppress the state and undermine the rights, dignity and identity of its people. He will underline that while the BJP has weaponised the Election Commission (EC) and central agencies like the ED, Bengal will emerge victorious.”

Abhishek’s yatra will be centred on the party’s slogan, “Jotoi koro hamla, Abar jitbe Bangla” (No matter how much you attack, Bengal will win again).

TMC sources said that in the course of his tour Abhishek would also seek feedback from the people as well as the party grassroots workers about the sitting MLAs or other local leaders to “determine their eligibility for party tickets” for the Assembly elections slated for March-April.

In a statement, the TMC alleged “systematic suppression” by the BJP-ruled Centre, pointing to Bengal’s “Rs 1.96 lakh crore dues pending with the Centre”, even as it called the EC’s contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls “an exercise to disenfranchise Bengalis”.

A senior TMC leader said, “Abhishek Banerjee is now not only number two in our party, sometimes he is the last word in the party. In some cases, Mamata Banerjee also does not intervene in Abhishek’s decisions.”

Pinning hopes on Abhishek’s current yatra for boosting its prospects in the Assembly polls, the TMC camp has drawn a parallel with his 2023 yatra which had proved crucial in shaping its subsequent victories.

Ahead of the September 2023 panchayat elections, Abhishek had undertaken a statewide yatra, called “Nabo Joar Yatra” (New Wave Yatra), during February-March that year, which also led to the selection of the party candidates in the rural polls. The TMC had not only swept those polls, but also went on to register a landslide win in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in the state.

TMC sources said in the Lok Sabha polls too, several candidates were “handpicked” by Abhishek. It was Abhishek’s choice to field former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan against then state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, among the most vocal anti-TMC leaders in the state. Abhishek also chose Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia from Cooch Behar, who went on to defeat former Union minister Nisith Pramanik. He also picked unknown faces such as Uttam Barik, Kalipada Soren, and Bapi Halder from Kanthi, Jhargram and Mathurapur, respectively. Of them, only Uttam Barik lost in Kanthi, while both Soren and Halder won. He also picked Mitali Bagh who surprised everyone to win from Arambagh, which even TMC insiders had not counted as a winning seat before the polls.

Abhishek’s rise

Abhishek’s emergence as the TMC second-in-command began with the 2021 Assembly poll campaign. He was elevated in the TMC as its national general secretary after the party pulled off a hattrick by clinching the Assembly polls.

There were a few hiccups as the TMC stumbled in the Goa, Meghalaya, and Tripura Assembly polls the following year, even as the party saw a tussle between him and its old guard. However, the Diamond Harbour MP rose to cement his position after undertaking his “Nabo Joar Yatra”.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, as the INDIA bloc parties began talks to form the alliance, Abhishek accompanied Mamata to the Opposition meetings and became the TMC’s representative in the INDIA coordination committee. When Mamata injured her leg in October 2023 and doctors advised her rest, Abhishek led the party’s “Delhi Chalo” rally against the alleged freezing of Bengal’s funds for MGNREGA and other schemes by the Centre.

Key TMC face

In August 2025, Mamata appointed Abhishek as the TMC’s leader in the Lok Sabha, replacing veteran party leader Sudip Banerjee who was ailing.

While Mamata will lead the TMC into the upcoming Assembly elections as its mascot, Abhishek is set to play a key role in the party’s poll campaign.

On Wednesday, Abhishek led a TMC delegation to meet the EC to express their concerns over the ongoing SIR exercise in Bengal, following which he targeted Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that he “was sent on a mission to destroy this institution (EC) and our country”.

He also said that “vote chori” was happening in electoral rolls, but the Opposition parties like the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) failed to check it in other states.

On Abhishek’s “Abar Jitbe Bangla” yatra, ex-state BJP chief Rahul Sinha said, “People are no longer with TMC due to their arrogance. TMC’s continuous attacks on SIR prove how it is trying to manipulate the voter list. Abhishek Banerjee or TMC may organise road shows, rallies, or whatever they want. But this will not change the current political scenario of Bengal with people going to defeat them.”

Dismissing Abhishek’s yatra, CPI(M) central committee member Samik Lahiri said, “This is a five-star yatra. It has no connection with common people.”