'Simply Join Congress Directly': Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Urges Mamata Banerjee to Merge TMC

Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday urged Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee to merge her party with the Congress and rejoin the party, saying the Congress would be willing to accept her leadership in West Bengal. Speaking in Murshidabad, Chowdhury appealed to Banerjee to bring her remaining MPs and MLAs into the Congress fold instead of pursuing separate political arrangements. He also urged the Congress high command to facilitate such a move.

“I would like to offer a suggestion to Mamata Banerjee, and also urge our High Command, that she should simply join the Congress party directly,” Chowdhury said. He said that if Banerjee joined the Congress along with her remaining legislators, the party would be prepared to work under her leadership in Bengal. The remarks come amid continued organisational turmoil within the TMC following the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The party has faced divisions in both its legislative and parliamentary wings, with rival groups challenging the existing leadership and party structure. ‘This Time BJP Will Go’: Mamata Banerjee Predicts Political Change Before 2029 (Video).

Chowdhury, a former West Bengal Congress president, also referred to Banerjee's recent engagement with the Congress-led INDIA bloc while making his appeal. He suggested that she should leave behind what he described as her “baggage” and return to the Congress. The proposal carries particular significance given the history between Banerjee and the Congress. Banerjee left the Congress and founded the Trinamool Congress in 1998. The TMC subsequently emerged as a major political force in West Bengal and ended the Left Front's 34-year rule in the state in 2011.

The Congress leader's comments, however, do not represent a formal merger proposal from the party leadership. TMC MP Sougata Roy said the party would consider such a proposal if it came officially from the Congress high command. Roy also maintained that the TMC remains a separate constituent of the INDIA bloc and said no decision involving the party could be taken without its leadership, including national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

Chowdhury's remarks came amid a broader political realignment in West Bengal after the 2026 Assembly elections. According to reports, the TMC won 80 seats in the 294-member Assembly, while the BJP emerged as the largest party. The subsequent split within the TMC's legislative wing and developments involving its parliamentary members have added to uncertainty over the party's organisational future. Sonia Gandhi-Mamata Banerjee Moment at INDIA Bloc Meet Goes Viral.

The Congress-TMC relationship has also been shaped by recent cooperation within the opposition bloc. Chowdhury referred to TMC's support for the Congress candidate in Nandigram and suggested similar cooperation in the Rejinagar contest. Meanwhile, Banerjee has continued to raise concerns over the conduct of the recent electoral process. In Murshidabad, she questioned the handling of EVMs, CCTV footage, central security deployment and the Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls. These allegations have been made by Banerjee and her party and are part of an ongoing political dispute over the election process.

For now, there is no announced decision by Banerjee or the TMC to merge with the Congress. Chowdhury's statement is an invitation from a senior Congress leader as the TMC faces internal divisions and the political landscape in West Bengal undergoes significant changes.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 01, 2026 10:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).