Trinamool’s vaunted machinery dress-rehearses for poll season
Times of India | 16 February 2026
Kolkata: Across the city on Sunday, Yuva Sathi camps doubled up as a test run for what Trinamool's much-vaunted poll machinery would deliver during elections. What began as enrolment drives for the state's Yuva Sathi scheme, party seniors said, was in effect a visible mobilisation of the Trinamool Congress's grassroots network ahead of the poll season.
Across 25 assembly constituencies, party workers fanned out on what several netas described as a "war footing", treating the camps — 1 camp per assembly segment — as a dress rehearsal for 2026 polls. The scheme, announced by CM Mamata Banerjee, targets unemployed youth, and party insiders admitted the timing was strategic — an effort to consolidate young voters amid an increasingly competitive electoral landscape.
The mobilisation comes against the backdrop of the SIR in Bengal. Political observers noted that while similar roll revisions in other states were often seen as strengthening the BJP's electoral push, in Bengal the exercise could serve as a pre-election advantage for Trinamool. Party netas said the SIR process already activated booth-level workers, making Sunday's swift outreach easier. "We barely had 24 hours to prepare," said Sashi Panja, state minister and MLA of Shyampukur. "This crowd shows that people trust Trinamool and its social schemes. It was a challenge to reach out in such a short time, but our workers did a great job."
Behala East MLA Ratna Chatterjee oversaw 2 camps — 1 at Sakherbazar and another near Ashoka Cinema. She said councillors played a key role in spreading the word in absence of traditional campaign tools such as announcement through loudhailers. "Each ward had a separate help desk, with the local councillor overseeing it," she said.
Applicants confirmed the role of local networks. Supriya Das, 24, a resident of Thakurpukur Daspara, said she learnt about it through her councillor. "My mother called the local councillor for updates. Once the date was fixed, we were informed by the councillor," she said.
Councillor Bapi Ghosh of ward 7 said workers relied heavily on social media and door-to-door visits. "Ever since SIR began, every TMC worker was active to save each vote. We were already on the ground. The opposition may call this charity, but our govt is delivering on its promises," he said.
Kartick Manna of ward 1 said: "We created WhatsApp groups and visited every home to explain the process"
"The sight of long queues of young applicants is more than just an administrative success. It is a signal that our grassroots network remains intact and battle-ready," said Ashim Basu, councillor of ward 70 in Bhowanipore.