Like any strong party in power, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal faces anti-incumbency. However, it is not directed at Mamata Banerjee. The TMC chief is still the pole around whom the state’s politics revolves.
Performance of the TMC, whose campaign she spearheaded, in the 18th Lok Sabha elections in the state is a testament to state-wide acceptance of Banerjee.
But a series of corruption allegations, along with worsening law and order conditions in various regions of the state, led to a sense of dissatisfaction among voters towards the party's local leaders and members.
Additionally, internal rift between factions within the party over grassroots power made the TMC appear a weaker force ahead of the 2024 polls compared to its stronger position in 2021.
Yet, the party managed to better its performance from 2019. From 22 Lok Sabha seats, Trinamool now has 29 with an increased vote percentage of 45.76. What this also meant was that the TMC restricted the Narendra Modi-led BJP juggernaut in West Bengal once again.
The major factor propelling the party to another electoral glory was its successful bypassing of anti-incumbency and internal rift that exists at the ground level. Trinamool did it by introducing scores of new candidates. Most of them not only won but caused major upsets for the opposition.
We list some new Trinamool candidates who were instrumental in their party’s success in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Yusuf Pathan (Baharampur)
After a span of 25 years, the fortress of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was finally breached. Astonishingly, the person to do the unimaginable did not have any political experience whatsoever. Former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan’s candidacy against the Congress’s leader of opposition in the last Lok Sabha was itself a surprise move by the TMC, and he wasn’t taken seriously by most. But the former India cricketer remained unfazed and culminated a hugely successful campaign with the biggest upset in West Bengal in the 2024 elections.
Jagadish Chandra Barman Basunia (Coochbehar)
The BJP has found itself to be in a stronger position in northern Bengal than in other parts of the state for some time now. The party’s Coochbehar candidate, Nisith Pramanik, also the Union minister of state in the ministry of home affairs, is known as a strongman in his constituency. Basunia, a former MLA, did not have any prior experience of contesting the Parliamentary polls. But he successfully pulled off one of the major upsets in the state by defeating the Union minister and winning the seat back from the saffron party.
Kirti Azad (Bardhaman-Durgapur)
The former cricketer’s candidacy from Bardhaman-Durgapur appeared to be a surprise move. More so because against him was BJP veteran Dilip Ghosh and Bardhaman-Durgapur was won by the BJP in 2019. But the World Cup winner defied all odds to beat the former BJP chief with a margin of over 1.37 lakh votes.
June Maliah (Medinipur)
Dilip Ghosh was elected from Medinipur in 2019. This time, the party decided to field Agnimitra Paul from the seat where it had polled 48.62 per cent votes last time. The Trinamool, instead of opting for a senior and experienced face, fielded Maliah, an actor. The only electoral experience she possessed was her election to the West Bengal assembly in 2021. Maliah continued her form in the Lok Sabha polls as well as she regained Medinipur for her party.
Arup Chakraborty (Bankura)
Arup Chakraborty is another TMC candidate who was an MLA before he wrestled a seat from the BJP for his party. In 2019, Bankura was won by the BJP’s Dr Subhas Sarkar, a Union minister of state in the ministry of education, by a margin of over 1.7 lakh votes. But Chakraborty overturned the fate of Bankura and defeated the incumbent in a close contest.
Rachna Banerjee (Hooghly)
Hooghly was another seat that was won by the BJP in 2019. After defeating the Trinamool incumbent, the BJP’s Locket Chatterjee was seeking a second term. Trinamool, on the other hand, did not go to any experienced or local leaders, Instead, the party fielded Banerjee, a TV celebrity and a complete newbie in politics. She too wrested the seat back for her party.
