Opinion | Mamata, Abhishek, And TMC's 'Twin-Track' Strategy For Bengal

Updated: Mar 30, 2026 18:39 pm IST Published On Mar 30, 2026 18:37 pm IST Last Updated On Mar 30, 2026 18:39 pm IST

Published On Mar 30, 2026 18:37 pm IST

Last Updated On Mar 30, 2026 18:39 pm IST

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress's second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee have emerged as a coordinated political force in the 2026 election campaign. Their joint leadership marks a distinctive phase in the state's electoral politics, with a level of coordination not seen in previous elections.

While Abhishek Banerjee played an active role in the 2021 Assembly and subsequent Lok Sabha elections, the current campaign reflects an unprecedented degree of synchronisation between the two. 

Aggressive opposition politics is not new to the state. Similar intensity was visible during the Left Front era under Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, when Mamata Banerjee led the opposition. After the Left's decline, she occupied much of the opposition space once held by the Congress, with the BJP gradually emerging as the principal challenger. Even so, the BJP's current level of political aggression is among the sharpest seen in recent decades.

Another key feature of this election is the visible role of the central establishment.........

© NDTV