- By Surarika Das
- Thu, 28 May 2026 08:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Former Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen on Thursday resigned as the TMC's national spokesperson. This comes a day after TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dostidar stepped down from her organisational post. The resignations come after the BJP swept the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, winning 208 of the 294 seats.
Sen, in his resignation letter, cited corruption and mishandling of the RG Kar rape case as he stepped down from the post.
Meanwhile, Dastidar had earlier resigned as chief of the TMC women’s wing, alleging that the party failed to shield her from the conduct of fellow MP Kalyan Banerjee, who also replaced her as the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha. Dastidar sought Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s permission to file a formal complaint against Banerjee, accusing him of misogyny and repeated verbal abuse inside Parliament. In response, Kalyan Banerjee attacked Dastidar, referring to allegations linked to the Narada sting operation and accusing her of supporting illegal syndicates in Kolkata.
100 Councillors Resigned
The resignations are not just limited to the MP of the party. A few days ago, more than 100 councillors resigned from different municipalities across the state. Analysts point to a weakening of the party's strength at a core level.
One of the biggest shocks came from Bhatpara Municipality, where 30 of the municipality’s 35 councillors, including chairperson Reba Raha, resigned on Friday.
ALSO READ: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Resigns, Rejects Congress's Rajya Sabha Offer; What's Next For Him?
In nearby Halisahar Municipality, 16 out of 23 councillors stepped down. Another 14 councillors resigned from Kanchrapara Municipality.
Other municipalities witnessing major resignations include Garulia Municipality with 18 resignations, North Barrackpore Municipality with 15 and Contai Municipality with 14. In Diamond Harbour Municipality, eight councillors resigned from the 16-member civic body.
Why Are They Stepping Down?
The majority of the party members cited personal or organisational reasons for their resignation; it's speculated that the sudden power shift has prompted them to take such an extreme step.
Experts say that the members fear about police action and corruption investigations were spreading rapidly through municipalities where councillors had long operated with political protection under the previous government. The nervousness went high after a series of arrests involving municipal leaders linked to the TMC.
In Cooch Behar, TMC councillor Ujjal Tar was arrested over allegations linked to threats and intimidation during the Assembly election campaign. On May 20, cops nabbed Ranjan Poddar, councillor of Ward 34 in Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and chairman of Borough 5, over allegations that money was regularly collected from bus and auto operators in Salt Lake and Karunamoyee areas.
Experts say that the BJP is pursuing a two-way strategy. On one hand, the saffron party is presenting its actions as an administrative clean-up of municipalities allegedly affected by corruption and syndicate politics.
On the other hand, the pressure created by investigations and arrest prompted a shake-up of the local civic structure that once held the TMC’s political machinery for years.
Earlier, municipalities in Bengal functioned not just as civic institutions but also as political ecosystems controlling contracts, local influence and mobilisation networks. As a result of the councillors’ resignation, the party is losing grip at the grassroots.