SIR, vote shifts, governance issues reasons for TMC’s poor show
The Statesman | 5 May 2026
The Trinamul Congress (TMC) suffered a landslide defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections, with party leaders attributing the outcome to multiple factors, including the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), consolidation of Hindu votes, division among minority voters, allegations of poor governance and perceived arrogance among sections of the leadership.
The BJP campaigned on the slogan of ‘paribartan’ (change), while the TMC projected ‘pratyabartan’ (return). The electorate, however, delivered its verdict in favour of change. More than 20 TMC leaders and ministers were defeated.
According to party sources, the Election Commission of India removed around 91 lakh names from the electoral rolls during the SIR exercise. TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had earlier criticised the process, terming it “Special Invisible Rigging”. The party approached the Supreme Court of India, but nearly 27 lakh voters were ultimately unable to cast their ballots.
Voting patterns suggest the TMC was significantly affected in districts with sizeable minority populations. Areas such as Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia and the North and South 24-Parganas witnessed notable electoral shifts.
At the same time, there appeared to be consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of the BJP, particularly in border districts including Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Malda and Murshidabad, as well as North and South 24-Parganas, where the BJP made significant inroads into the TMC’s support base.
Analysts also pointed to governance-related issues. Allegations of nepotism in the distribution of housing benefits to the rural poor, as well as claims that ineligible beneficiaries received assistance, were widely raised during the campaign. Although the Centre’s decision not to release funds amounting to ₹2 lakh crore to the state government was highlighted by the TMC, it appeared to have had limited electoral impact.
The cancellation of around 28,000 teaching jobs following policy irregularities also contributed to public dissatisfaction. Additionally, welfare measures such as financial grants to puja committees and the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme drew mixed reactions, particularly among sections of the urban middle class.
Several prominent ministers and leaders were defeated, including Chandrima Bhattacharya, Dr Shashi Panja, Bratya Basu and Indranil Sen, along with senior leaders such as Debasish Kumar, Udayan Guha and Vijay Upadhyay.
The party’s decision to deny tickets to 74 sitting MLAs is also being seen as a major factor. In several constituencies, disgruntled leaders and their supporters were reportedly less active in campaigning. In Chunchura, for instance, TMC IT cell head Debangshu Bhattacharya lost the seat, amid reports that local workers remained unenthusiastic after the popular sitting MLA Asit Majumdar was dropped.