TMC Hits Out at BJP, Election Commission Ahead of Bengal Polls Trinamool Congress ramps up political offensive as West Bengal election date draws closer

TMC Opens Two-Front Attack

With the West Bengal Assembly elections just weeks away, the Trinamool Congress launched a sharp double offensive on Thursday — targeting both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Election Commission of India in the same breath. TMC MP Saayoni Ghosh, speaking in Kolkata, alleged that the Election Commission is functioning at the behest of the BJP, a charge that drew an equally pointed rebuttal from the saffron camp before the day was out.

Ghosh Fires From Kolkata

Ghosh did not stop at procedural objections. In a remark that instantly became the talking point of the day, she described the BJP as "the biggest political error" and called the Election Commission "the biggest glitch" facing the democratic process in Bengal. Addressing reporters, she said the party is fighting for the people of West Bengal by sending delegations, protesting on the streets, and approaching the Supreme Court of India, adding that the mandate ultimately lies with the people of the state.

She also claimed that despite the BJP's resources and political influence, winning Bengal remains a "distant dream" for the party.

BJP Fires Back Hard

The BJP wasted little time in responding. West Bengal BJP unit chief Samik Bhattacharya said that the entire nation believes Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be ousted from power, and described corruption and the TMC as synonymous. Bhattacharya accused the ruling party of deflecting accountability by attacking constitutional bodies.

Observer Row Deepens Tensions

TMC leader Bratya Basu added fuel to the fire by targeting Election Commission observers deployed in the state. Basu alleged that observers with family links to the BJP were being sent to Bengal, and named a general observer for Bangaon Dakshin, citing past corruption accusations against him under the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh — a clean chit, he noted, was later given by the Mohan Yadav government. The ECI has not yet issued a formal response to these allegations.

Background to the Bitterness

West Bengal Assembly elections are scheduled in two phases — on 23 April and 29 April 2026 — with votes to be counted on 4 May. Mamata Banerjee's TMC holds a majority with 215 seats from the 2021 elections, while the BJP, which is the principal opposition, won 21 seats that year. The stakes this time are considerably higher, with both sides deploying aggressive ground campaigns and legal manoeuvres well ahead of polling day.

TMC has announced candidates for 291 constituencies, with Mamata Banerjee contesting from Bhabanipur once again. The BJP has fielded Suvendu Adhikari from the same seat, setting up what could be the most watched contest of the election.

RG Kar Adds Another Layer

The political temperature was further raised by remarks around the RG Kar medical college rape and murder case. CPI-M leader Hannan Mollah expressed strong displeasure over the victim's mother, Ratna Debnath, joining the BJP to contest from the Panihati constituency, saying it was giving a "bad name" to the Abhaya Andolan. The comment sparked immediate reaction across party lines and on social media, with citizens divided on whether the grieving mother's political choice deserved criticism.

What This Signals

Analysts tracking Bengal politics say the TMC's direct targeting of the Election Commission reflects a broader strategy to frame the 2026 election as a battle against institutional bias, rather than a straightforward governance contest. Whether voters in Bengal — accustomed to high-decibel electoral battles — will respond to this framing remains to be seen.

With results set to be declared on 4 May 2026, the coming weeks will determine whether the TMC's narrative holds, or the BJP's on-ground consolidation delivers a historic upset in one of India's most politically charged states.