Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has launched a pointed attack on political consultancy firm I-PAC, holding it partly responsible for the party's recent electoral reverses in West Bengal and warning that outsourcing campaign strategy without empowering local leadership could prove costly ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The veteran parliamentarian, who has been associated with the TMC for over 40 years, made the remarks in a candid interview on 25 May.

A Loyalist's Indictment of I-PAC

Ghosh Dastidar reserved her sharpest criticism for I-PAC, the agency entrusted with crafting the TMC's electoral strategy in recent campaigns. She described its working style as flawed and fundamentally disconnected from ground realities in Bengal.

'Our workers are not anyone's servants. They work out of their love and faith in Mamata Banerjee and the party. However, the people from I-PAC treated them poorly, which led to growing resentment among the workers,' she said.

She alleged that agency representatives often behaved arrogantly, dismissing the advice of local leaders and grassroots workers who had fought the party's battles for decades. 'Some members of the agency had begun to perceive themselves as wielding immense authority,' she remarked. Ghosh Dastidar argued that I-PAC lacked sufficient understanding of the complexities of grassroots politics in Bengal — a terrain, she stressed, that TMC workers had navigated through years of hard-fought electoral contests.

The 'Outsiders' Problem Within TMC

Beyond I-PAC, the veteran MP took veiled swipes at leaders and workers who joined the TMC only after it attained power, suggesting that many did so for personal gain rather than ideological commitment. According to her, this influx of late entrants has diluted the party's original spirit and created internal discord.

'I struggled during the party's difficult times and contributed to strengthening the organisation through sheer hard work. I did not join the party during its good times,' she said, drawing a sharp contrast between old-guard loyalists and newer entrants. She recalled standing by the party when workers faced physical assaults on the streets, and noted that the TMC attained power only after nearly 20 years of prolonged struggle.

Electoral Setbacks and Accountability

Ghosh Dastidar acknowledged that the party's defeat in recent Assembly segments stemmed from multiple factors. She admitted that in several areas there was visible public resentment against the government, including complaints of corruption at the Panchayat and Councillor levels.

She also pointed to widespread discontent over the Special Summary Revision (SSR) process, during which lakhs of names were allegedly struck off electoral rolls arbitrarily — a grievance that reportedly suppressed the party's voter base in key constituencies.

Describing her resignation from the post of AITC District President for the Barasat parliamentary constituency as a 'moral responsibility', Ghosh Dastidar said she stepped down after the party lost five out of seven Assembly seats in the area. 'If any citizen feels insecure or faces threats, such as the seizure of their land, it is the government's duty to protect them,' she asserted, signalling that governance failures had contributed to electoral damage.

Warning Ahead of 2026 Assembly Elections

With the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections on the horizon, Ghosh Dastidar's remarks carry considerable political weight. She warned that continuing to rely on external agencies without adequately empowering local leadership could prove costly for the TMC. The party, she implied, must return to its roots, value its loyal workers, and address genuine public grievances if it wishes to reclaim lost ground. This is not the first time internal voices within the TMC have flagged over-dependence on consultancies — similar concerns surfaced after the party's underwhelming performance in certain Lok Sabha segments in 2024.