Nation

New Delhi: Madan Mitra's resignation from the Mamata Banerjee-led party has left West Bengal feeling fractured and uncertain in terms of politics. The former chief minister's decision to switch sides and join the TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee was a major blow to the political party that was struggling with an internal civil war that threatened to dismantle the ruling party.

Mitra's prominent departure is just one more sign of the growing number of defections in Mamata Banerjee'S camp in the past few weeks, with scores of lawmakers and experienced leaders moving to Ritabrata' wing. After the incident, Mitra spoke directly to reporters and pointed fingers at TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, claiming that Banera was stubborn during an existential crisis. Mitrac revealed that he had personally asked Banerunge to step down as head of party to prevent structural collapse. He stated that he proposed Abhishek's resignation for either six months or a year to enable the collective leadership to rebuild the organization from scratch, after which reelection would be possible. Abhishek reportedly rejected the idea of leaving his post, insisting it was his decision. According to Mitra, the party had fallen into a trap where preserving one's political ambitions overriding the success of the entire organization. He lamented that sentiment and asserted that the TMC was no longer focused on serving the interests of an individual person, highlighting the seriousness of its failure. Mitra expressed her dissatisfaction by publicly challenging the West Bengal Chief Minister, likening the current political struggle to a long-distance race and calling on Mamata Banerjee to determine which horse will emerge victorious in this high-stakes race. Although Mitra resigned from all organizational positions within the mainstream TMC, he still maintains that a Trinamool lawmaker is his functional identity. However, as an MLA, I would not personally prefer to be considered someone of his age or more who adds extra dimension in politically volatile Bengal.

 He resigned immediately after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned his wife and two sons to answer questions under the PMLA. The following day, Central government is investigating allegations of financial irregularities in West Bengal's municipal recruitment scam. Following initial CBI raids in October 2025, Mitra's properties had been searched by the ED in June.