With West Bengal’s assembly elections on the horizon, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is tightening the party’s organizational discipline, holding district-wise review meetings and sending out a clear message: internal unity and grassroots outreach will decide the battle against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

At a meeting with leaders from Barasat and Tamluk on Tuesday, Banerjee stressed generational balance within the party, announcing that leaders above the age of 40 would no longer be part of the youth wing. “If one person holds on to two positions, that is not what the party wants,” he told colleagues, adding that such leaders would instead take up responsibilities in the parent organization.

The TMC leader also underscored the need for stronger public engagement. “Factionalism will not be tolerated,” he warned, instructing district leaders to expand outreach at the booth level and maintain constant contact with ordinary citizens.

He admitted that the party’s performance in last year’s parliamentary elections was “very poor” but called on cadres to regroup with renewed energy. “In the assembly polls, the BJP must be countered on every front,” Banerjee said, urging elected representatives to remain visible and accessible.

In the Tamluk meeting, Banerjee focused on consolidating organizational strength in rural Bengal and paid particular attention to Nandigram — a politically symbolic constituency since Mamata Banerjee’s high-profile contest there in 2021. He also emphasized flagship TMC programs such as Amar Para, Amar Samadhan (My Neighborhood, My Solution), which he said should serve as key tools for local mobilization.

By combining the experience of senior leaders with the energy of younger cadres, Banerjee hopes to build a disciplined party machine that can blunt the BJP’s advance in Bengal’s 2026 state polls.