Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir, who swept both his contested seats in the West Bengal Assembly elections, on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC), saying the party had only one "chief" — Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — and everyone else was merely a "lamp post."

The 'Lamp Post' Jibe

Speaking to reporters in Murshidabad a day after his victories in both the Nowda and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies, Kabir did not hold back. "The Chief Minister has been defeated. There was only one chief in their team, others did not have a post. There was only one post, others were lamp posts," he said. He added: "When the post has lost, the lamp posts will also fall."

Kabir also announced he will vacate the Rejinagar seat and field his son in the subsequent bypoll. "People here consider me as their guardian," he said.

Corruption Blamed for TMC's Collapse

Kabir squarely attributed the Trinamool Congress defeat to what he called five years of unchecked corruption. He argued that in the 2021 Assembly polls, voters lacked a credible alternative despite TMC's alleged wrongdoings, but this time the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) provided that option. "The Congress does not have any organisation here. The CPI-M was also zero," he noted, explaining why the anti-incumbency vote consolidated around the BJP.

He also took aim at the TMC's flagship "Maa-Maati-Manush" slogan, saying the party failed to deliver on its promises to women and land rights. "Mamata Banerjee had said that her government is for 'Maa-Maati-Manush', but they did not do anything for 'Maa' (women) and 'Mati' (land) in the last five years. This defeat is the result of this," Kabir said.

A Historical Parallel: 2011 Left Front Rout

Kabir drew a pointed comparison between TMC's current defeat and the collapse of the CPI(M)-led Left Front in 2011, when several ministers of then Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's Cabinet lost their seats. "The same thing is happening after 15 years. Now, Mamata Banerjee, along with several of her ministers, has lost," he said. The parallel underscores how Bengal's electorate has historically delivered sweeping verdicts against entrenched incumbents.

On Mamata's Personal Defeat at Bhabanipur

Despite his sharp criticism, Kabir expressed measured regret over Mamata Banerjee's personal defeat at the Bhabanipur Assembly seat, where she lost to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari. "It is sad that a senior politician, who is also a former Union Minister, has been defeated again. This is how the people's mandate works," he said. Notably, Banerjee had previously lost to Adhikari in Nandigram during the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls before winning the Bhabanipur bypoll.

A Warning for the Incoming BJP Government

Kabir expressed cautious optimism about the incoming BJP government in West Bengal, saying he hoped it would work for the welfare of the people. However, he issued a clear warning: "If they also indulge in any wrongdoings, I will protest against them, too, and take it to the common people." The BJP registered a decisive victory in the state, with the Trinamool Congress reduced to just 81 seats. How the new government handles governance in a politically volatile state like Bengal will be closely watched.