TMC district leaders to meet in Kolkata today, discuss July 21 Martyrs' Day rally
Trinamool Congress (TMC) state president Subrata Bakshi has called a meeting of all district-level leaders on Saturday at his residence to begin preparations for the party's biggest annual event, the July 21 Martyrs' Day rally.
According to TMC sources, while Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will not be present in the meeting, all other top leaders are expected to attend it.
This year's rally holds special significance, as it will be the last Martyrs' Day gathering before the 2026 State Assembly elections. According to TMC workers, all eyes will be on Mamata Banerjee, who will address the rally and is likely to outline the roadmap for the 2026 elections as well as the party's strategy to take on the BJP.
'The main agenda is the July 21 rally. Like every year, the campaign will begin early and reach every section of society. But yes, the Birbhum situation also needs attention; it's becoming a headache for the party,' a senior TMC leader said.
With less than a year to go for the 2026 Assembly elections, the party has already begun overhauling its internal structure. Last month, in a major organisational reshuffle, the TMC appointed 11 new district presidents and 12 new district chairpersons across 18 of its 35 organisational districts. Some posts remain vacant. Saturday's meeting will be the first where the new district heads will interact with the state leadership.
The message is clear—TMC plans to fight the elections with a blend of old and new leaders.
Meanwhile, sources in the party indicate that Bakshi and state leaders are likely to have a separate meeting with the Birbhum district's core committee to address the recent internal rifts that have surfaced between factions led by Anubrata Mondal and Kajal Sheikh.
Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal.
Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
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