Bengal BJP fights against its ‘Trinamoolification’
Having coming to power in West Bengal earlier this year, the State unit of the BJP is facing a major political challenge, which party leaders are describing as its ‘Trinamoolification’. Implicit in this word is that several leaders from the Trinamool Congress are joining the party and being given key responsibilities, and that the BJP is embracing the very culture of the party it opposed and…
In the wake of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections of 2026, the party's president, Samik Bhattacharya, made a controversial statement claiming that the party would never be "Trinamoolified." The 62-year-old leader, a former foot soldier of the BJP, coined the phrase "Trinamoolification of the BJP" after the party's electoral success.
He welcomed three former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik, to the BJP fold, renominating them to the Rajya Sabha. Bhattacharya defended the decision, citing the party's larger interest and the nation's bigger picture. However, his stance met with resistance from BJP supporters who were initially supportive of his views.
Within 100 days of the BJP government taking office in West Bengal, discontent among the party rank and file grew, with some supporters even protesting against Bhattacharya by surrounding his photograph with new shoes. The incident of welcoming the Trinamool leaders into the BJP occurred even before the party's win in the Assembly elections, with former BJP president Dilip Ghosh criticizing Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for allowing Trinamool leaders to join the BJP, pointing out that the Chief Minister himself is a former Trinamool member.
The Trinamool Congress has faced internal turmoil since the 2026 elections, with many of its leaders defecting to other parties, including the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The "good Trinamool" rebels, led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, claim to be the "original Trinamool" and have sought the party's symbol from the Election Commission, demanding their share of party funds.
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