A day after the BJP’s victory in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to resign and struck a conciliatory note, suddenly calling for renewed Opposition unity under the INDI bloc after having ditched it before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, she said, “We have to work together, we have to remain united, and we will do whatever is necessary to defeat the BJP.” She further claimed that she had received calls from several Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav and others, indicating a push among Opposition parties to regroup after the electoral outcome.
#WATCH | Kolkata: Outgoing West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, "Sonia ji, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Hemant Soren rang me up. All the allies of INDIA Alliance told me that they are totally and absolutely with me. I think our… pic.twitter.com/W8ZRWMP1d2
— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2026
In fact, Mamata went on to claim she is a “free bird” now, and her target is clear, which is to strengthen the INDI bloc.
Her renewed emphasis on unity marks a contrast with her stance during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when the Trinamool Congress chose to contest independently in West Bengal following a breakdown in seat-sharing talks with the Congress.
Mamata had then held a firm line, offering only a limited number of seats and eventually stepping away from any pre-poll alliance arrangement in the state.
While she had maintained at the time that defeating the BJP remained the larger objective, her decision to go solo in a politically significant state was seen as a departure from the coordinated approach the INDI bloc had sought to project, reportedly on issues with the leadership of the alliance. The move contributed to visible strains within the Opposition grouping as it attempted to present a united front nationally.
Her latest remarks, along with the outreach she cited from key Opposition figures, suggest a recalibration in strategy following the West Bengal result. At the same time, the contrast between her current call for unity and her earlier decision to disengage from alliance-based contest in the state highlights the shifting dynamics within the Opposition space.
