Sun Nov 24 15:48:53 UTC 2024: ## Trinamool Congress MP Calls for Mamata Banerjee to Lead INDIA Opposition Bloc

**Kolkata, November 24, 2024** – Following the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) sweep in recent West Bengal by-elections, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee has urged the INDIA alliance to accept party chairperson Mamata Banerjee as its leader. Banerjee’s call comes after the TMC won all six contested seats, while the Congress failed to secure even its deposits.

Banerjee criticized the Congress and other opposition parties for their perceived failures, asserting that Mamata Banerjee is the only leader who has effectively resisted the BJP in West Bengal. He highlighted the TMC’s victory in Madarihat, a BJP stronghold, as evidence of the party’s strength. The BJP lost the seat by over 28,000 votes, a significant reversal from the Lok Sabha election results. Alipurduar MP Manoj Tigga has reportedly submitted a report to the BJP leadership on the defeat.

This push for Mamata Banerjee’s leadership comes ahead of a crucial TMC meeting at the Chief Minister’s residence. The meeting is expected to exclude party leader Sukendu Sekhar Roy, who had previously criticized the state government. While the TMC is part of the INDIA alliance, it contested the Lok Sabha elections independently and has often been critical of the Congress’s leadership. Support for Banerjee’s call has emerged from within the TMC, with party leader Kunal Ghosh echoing his sentiments. The by-election results have fueled the debate over leadership within the INDIA opposition bloc and highlighted the TMC’s growing influence in West Bengal.

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