Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP from Barasat, resigned from her party posts on May 25, 2026 [2].
The move signals potential instability within the TMC leadership in West Bengal following a series of electoral setbacks. If a significant bloc of lawmakers shifts allegiance, it could alter the legislative balance in the region and the national parliament.
Dastidar said she resigned from her role as district in-charge due to moral responsibility for the party's poor performance in the recent West Bengal assembly polls [2]. In an interview, she criticized the current direction of politics in West Bengal and took a swipe at the party's strategic consultants, I-PAC [2], [3].
Beyond her personal resignation, Dastidar made a broader claim regarding the party's internal cohesion. She said around 20 TMC MPs are preparing to write to the Lok Sabha Speaker, and are considering aligning their political future with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) [1].
This claim of a mass exodus contradicts reports that focused solely on her resignation for electoral failures. While some reports emphasize her accountability for the poll debacle, others highlight her intent to join the NDA [2], [1].
Dastidar's departure from her party posts follows a period of tension regarding the TMC's campaign strategies. The potential shift of 20 lawmakers to the NDA would represent one of the most significant fractures in the party's history since the assembly polls [1].
“Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resigned from her party posts on May 25, 2026.”
The potential defection of 20 MPs to the NDA would significantly weaken the Trinamool Congress's leverage in the Lok Sabha and signal a collapse of internal discipline. By citing both the 'poll debacle' and the influence of I-PAC, Dastidar is framing the party's failure as a systemic issue rather than a localized one, suggesting that the dissatisfaction is widespread among the party's elected representatives.
