Congress snubs Mamata's bye-election outreach as Bengal's political tide turns
Synopsis
The party that once needed Mamata Banerjee's alliance to survive in Bengal is now ignoring her seat-sharing calls. After the BJP won 208 seats and TMC crashed to 80 in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls, Congress has turned the tables — refusing TMC's bye-election overture and announcing its own candidates for both vacant seats. The wheel of political fortune has completed a sharp turn.
Key Takeaways
TMC approached Congress General Secretary K.C.
Venugopal with a proposal to share the Rejinagar and Bhabanipur bye-election seats one each; Congress declined and announced candidates for both.
In the April 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections , BJP won 208 seats and TMC won only 80 in the 294-seat assembly — a dramatic collapse for Mamata Banerjee's party.
West Bengal Congress President Shubhankar Sarkar said TMC should support Congress candidates first before any alliance discussion can begin.
Mamata Banerjee quit Congress in 1997 and formed TMC in 1998 , accusing state Congress leaders of a covert understanding with the Left Front.
In 2011 , the two parties allied to end the Left Front's 34-year rule , winning 227 seats , but TMC withdrew UPA support within a year with a majority of 187 members.
Congress leaders cited Mamata's history of severing alliances and alleged attacks on Congress workers under TMC rule as reasons for the current refusal.
The Indian National Congress has reportedly declined a seat-sharing proposal from the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) ahead of next month's bye-elections in West Bengal, with TMC leaders confirming the outreach and the subsequent cold shoulder — a development that signals a sharp reversal in the two parties' political fortunes following the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election.
The Seat-Sharing Snub
According to TMC leaders, the party's top leadership had approached Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal with a proposal to split the two vacant bye-election seats — Rejinagar and Bhabanipur — one each. Both constituencies fell vacant after winning candidates, including Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, opted to retain another seat they had simultaneously won.
According to a TMC member of Parliament, the Congress never formally responded. Instead, the party went on to announce its own candidates for both seats. When pressed for a reaction, Venugopal reportedly cited strong objections from regional party members within the state unit.
West Bengal Congress President Shubhankar Sarkar was quoted as saying that TMC should simply support Congress candidates in both seats — and only then could a future alliance be considered.
What the 2026 Assembly Results Changed
The backdrop to this cold shoulder is the striking turnaround in the April 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged dominant with 208 seats in the 294-member assembly, while TMC was reduced to 80 seats — a collapse from its earlier dominance. The verdict left the Mamata-led party reeling, compounded by a wave of defections, multiple leaders and elected representatives walking out, and several facing investigations over alleged malpractices.
It is this wounded standing, observers note, that drove TMC to seek a rapprochement with a Congress it had long sidelined — only to be met with silence, and then a flat refusal.
A History of Fractured Ties
The Congress-TMC relationship has been defined by cycles of alliance, betrayal, and bitter rivalry. Mamata Banerjee originally walked out of the Congress in 1997, forming the Trinamool Congress in 1998, after accusing senior state Congress leaders of a covert understanding with the Left Front rather than a genuine desire to displace it.
Yet in 2011, the two parties buried their differences to contest together, alongside the Socialist Unity Centre of India — an alliance that ended the Left Front's unbroken 34-year rule in West Bengal, with the combine winning 227 seats. Within a year, however, Mamata withdrew support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), riding a comfortable majority of 187 Trinamool members in the state assembly.
The bitterness only deepened when Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a known Mamata critic, was appointed state Congress chief. His tenure saw an escalating war of words and regular protests directed at the then-ruling TMC government, with the state party frequently lodging grievances with central Congress leadership including Sonia Gandhi. Congress, paradoxically, even allied with the Left — its decades-long ideological adversary — against TMC.
A Calculated Signal from the New Congress Leadership
Sarkar's appointment as West Bengal Congress chief, replacing Chowdhury ahead of the state elections, had been widely read as a signal from the Congress high command of a softer posture towards Mamata. That reading now looks premature. Congress leaders have also cited Mamata's own history of severing alliances and alleged attacks on Congress workers under TMC rule in the state as justification for the current rebuff.
Notably, at the national level, both TMC and the Left had joined the Congress-led INDIA bloc following the BJP's rise, yet Mamata chose to contest the West Bengal assembly elections independently — a decision that, in hindsight, may have cost her crucial tactical support.
The Wheel Turns
The upcoming Rejinagar and Bhabanipur bye-elections now serve as a live barometer of how decisively power dynamics have shifted. The party that once needed TMC's coattails to stay relevant in Bengal is today in a position to dictate alliance terms — or simply walk away. Whether Congress's current assertiveness translates into actual electoral gains in these two seats will be closely watched as both parties recalibrate their long-term strategy in West Bengal ahead of the next general election.
Point of View
Despite its comparatively modest footprint in the state, has read this realignment correctly — the party demanding an alliance is the weaker party. What mainstream coverage misses is that Sarkar's precondition — TMC support for Congress candidates before any alliance talk — is not a negotiating opener; it is a door closed. The real question is whether Congress can actually capitalise electorally on TMC's weakness, or whether this assertiveness is merely symbolic posturing in a state where the BJP now commands the ground.
NationPress
18 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Congress reject Trinamool's seat-sharing proposal for the West Bengal bye-elections?
Congress rejected the proposal, reportedly citing strong objections from its regional members, Mamata Banerjee's history of breaking alliances, and alleged attacks on Congress workers under TMC's previous government in West Bengal. The party instead announced its own candidates for both vacant seats.
Which seats are up for bye-elections in West Bengal?
The bye-elections are being held for the Rejinagar and Bhabanipur assembly constituencies, which fell vacant after winning candidates — including Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari — opted to retain another seat they had simultaneously won in the April 2026 elections.
What were the results of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections?
In the April 2026 assembly elections, the BJP won 208 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, while TMC won only 80 seats — a dramatic fall from its earlier dominant position in the state.
What is the history of the Congress-TMC relationship in West Bengal?
Mamata Banerjee left Congress in 1997 and founded TMC in 1998, accusing state Congress leaders of a secret understanding with the Left Front. Despite this, the two parties allied in 2011 to defeat the Left Front's 34-year rule, winning 227 seats, but TMC withdrew support to the UPA government within a year.
What position has West Bengal Congress President Shubhankar Sarkar taken on a TMC alliance?
Sarkar has said TMC should support Congress candidates in both Rejinagar and Bhabanipur as a precondition — only after that, he suggested, could a future alliance be considered. His appointment had earlier been seen as a signal of the high command softening its stance toward Mamata.
