Abhishek lays out TMC poll strategy, flags ‘aggressive climate’
Times of India | 27 December 2025
Kolkata: With Trinamool Congress set to kick off its campaign for the 2026 assembly elections from the very first day of the new year, Abhishek Banerjee, the party's national general secretary, outlined the party's campaign strategy and laid out instructions on discipline, public outreach and messaging on Friday. He said Trinamool must remain alert in what he described as an "aggressive political climate" surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.
Banerjee said Trinamool would go to polls with the slogan: "Manbe na haar, Maa-Mati-Manusher Sarkar Abar" (Won't accept defeat, Maa-Mati-Manush govt again). He also responded to PM Narendra Modi's recent slogan — "Bachte chai to BJP chai" (If you want to survive, choose BJP) — with the counter: "Bachte chai, BJP bye" (We want to survive, BJP must go).
Stepping up his attack on BJP, Banerjee said the PM's slogan hid a "deep conspiracy". "When they say they want to save, they actually mean destruction," he said, adding that the 2026 assembly elections would set the tone for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. "We will not accept defeat. Trinamool will return," he asserted.
Cautioning party seniors against complacency, Banerjee described the coming months as a "political battle". "If we relax even for a minute, the opposition will strike," he said, adding that displays of arrogance while dealing with people would not be tolerated.
"Your behaviour reveals who you are. People should see Mamata Banerjee's struggle and hard work in the way you conduct yourselves," he told party workers.
On electoral roll revisions, Banerjee issued a firm directive: "If any voter's name is dropped, take the matter directly to the hearing. Not a single eligible voter's name should be excluded."
Referring to recent attacks on Bengalis in other states, he said any assault on Bengali language and identity must be strongly resisted, indicating that identity, governance and voter protection will be central to the Trinamool's 2026 campaign.
As part of an outreach drive, Trinamool will be sending out letters personally written and signed by CM Mamata Banerjee to around 1,800 influential individuals across the state, along with a detailed development report. The initiative, under the programmes Banglar Samarthane Sanjog and Banglar Unnayaner Sanglap, is aimed at taking the govt's message directly to opinion-makers.
Each outreach kit will include: Unnayaner Panchali, a 15-year governance report card, a ceremonial stole, a signed letter from the CM and a memento.
On the organisational front, 38 teams comprising ministers, MPs, MLAs, panchayat samiti presidents, municipal chairpersons and block-level functionaries have been formed. Of the 1,800 identified influencers, 200 will be visited by ministers and MPs, while the rest will be contacted by MLAs and district leaders. The exercise will begin on Jan 1 and is expected to conclude within 15 to 30 days.
Under the Unnayaner Sanglap programme, daily activities will start with gram panchayat meetings, followed by neighbourhood interactions, visits to religious and community spaces, meetings with dissatisfied workers and engagements with eminent citizens.
Banerjee also announced the formation of three special monitoring teams in each assembly constituency to ensure smooth campaigning while SIR-related work continues.