Neither CM nor MLA: What’s next for Mamata Banerjee after Bhabanipur, Bengal loss?

Bengal Election Results: There are already speculations that TMC will send Mamata Banerjee to Parliament to counter the NDA government. 

What's next for Mamata Banerjee? 2026 marks a pivotal point in Mamata Banerjee’s career. The outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister has suffered a dual loss, while her party lost the assembly elections, winning just 80 seats, Banerjee lost from the Bhabanipur assembly constituency. The BJP has bagged 207 seats, getting 2/3rd majority in the 294-member assembly. This has left Mamata Banerjee as ‘LIP - Less Important Person’ in her own words. Though she continues to hold the TMC chief post and security protocols given to a former Chief Minister. However, given the fierceness of Mamata Banerjee and her fighting spirit, she is unlikely to remain inactive for a long.

Can Mamata Banerjee go to the Rajya Sabha?

There are already speculations that TMC will send Banerjee to Parliament to counter the NDA government. Notably, West Bengal sends 16 Rajya Sabha MPs to Parliament. Rajya Sabha elections for the five Members, who completed their tenures, have already been completed this year. So, if Mamata Banerjee wishes to enter the Rajya Sabha, she will have to make at least five of the 16 MPs resign.

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You may ask why? Because now to win a Rajya Sabha seat in a bypoll, a party needs 148 votes, which the TMC lacks as has only 80 seats. So to win a Rajya Sabha bypoll with 80 seats, at least five TMC Rajya Sabha MPs will have to quit, bringing down the eligible vote quota to around 50. In this way, while Mamata’s TMC can get a seat, the BJP will benefit the most as it may win remaining four. So, it’s unlikely that Banerjee will go to the Rajya Sabha.

Can Mamata Banerjee go to the Lok Sabha?

The easiest way for Mamata Banerjee to enter Parliament is via the Lok Sabha. The TMC has 29 Lok Sabha MPs in West Bengal. If a TMC Lok Sabha MP from the party’s stronghold area resigns, Banerjee can contest from that seat, hoping for a win. This way, she can enter the Lok Sabha. However, given the changing political dynamics of West Bengal, that election won’t be an easy task for the TMC.

Also Read: West Bengal results - A ghost from the past? Lessons Mamata Banerjee and TMC did not learn from 2011

Active Politics In West Bengal

The third option for Mamata Banerjee is to revive the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and work at the grassroots level with workers to identify the issues that alienated the voters from the TMC. While Banerjee remains a popular face in Bengal with 40% vote share, what’s lacking is the ground connect despite the welfare schemes. She can use this opportunity to build back the party’s ground connections with the voters.