Fresh cracks appear to have surfaced inside the Trinamool Congress after a heated parliamentary party meeting at Kalighat on Tuesday reportedly saw three party MLAs openly questioning the leadership over Falta candidate Jahangir Khan’s dramatic withdrawal from the bypoll race. The developments have now intensified speculation about growing internal discomfort around Abhishek Banerjee’s role within the party.
According to sources within the TMC, Beliaghata MLA Kunal Ghosh, Uluberia East MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and Entally MLA Sandipan Saha raised sharp questions during the meeting regarding Jahangir Khan’s sudden exit from the Falta by-election just two days before polling.
The Falta Assembly seat falls under Abhishek Banerjee’s Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, and Jahangir had long been perceived as politically close to the TMC national general secretary. That connection reportedly became the focal point of criticism during the closed-door meeting.
Sources claimed that the three MLAs questioned why Jahangir Khan had not yet been expelled from the party despite effectively abandoning the contest at a crucial stage. Ritabrata and Sandipan are also learnt to have sarcastically referred to Jahangir as a “leader of a Union Territory,” a remark widely interpreted as an indirect jibe at Abhishek’s political influence in the Diamond Harbour belt.
The three legislators reportedly arrived together at the Kalighat meeting, further fuelling speculation of coordinated dissent within sections of the party.
During the discussion, Abhishek Banerjee is learnt to have referred to the official TMC statement issued on X, where the party clarified that Jahangir’s decision to withdraw was entirely “personal” and not endorsed by the organization.
However, sources said Kunal Ghosh argued that party members should be allowed to “speak openly” and insisted that the leadership must take the political fight to the streets rather than remain confined to closed-door meetings.
Interestingly, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had earlier instructed MLAs to submit any grievances against the leadership in writing. But instead of following that route, the three MLAs reportedly voiced their dissatisfaction directly during Tuesday’s session.
The controversy surrounding Jahangir Khan has become especially embarrassing for the party because his withdrawal came after months of aggressive political projection in Falta. Earlier this year, Jahangir — who had branded himself as “Pushpa” — repeatedly declared that he would never bow down politically.
The issue of Abhishek Banerjee’s earlier campaign speech in Falta also reportedly resurfaced during the meeting. Ahead of the original April 29 polling date, Abhishek had claimed that Jahangir requested him to build a crematorium in the area. He had then controversially remarked that after the election results on May 4, those who would “die of heart attacks” could be cremated there.
According to party insiders, sarcastic references to that speech were also made during Tuesday’s meeting, with questions allegedly raised over who would now build the crematorium and who would ultimately be cremated there.
With Falta heading into polling amid visible discomfort within the ruling party, the latest developments have exposed simmering tensions inside the TMC at a politically sensitive moment.
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