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Trinamool Congress Internal Split: The Role of Celebrity Politicians in West Bengal Politics

Thursday, June 11, 2026
5 min read
Trinamool Congress Internal Split: The Role of Celebrity Politicians in West Bengal Politics

Following Mamata Banerjee’s loss in the West Bengal Assembly elections, things are really starting to fray. It looks like the Trinamool Congress is heading for a serious split in Parliament now.

This whole development kicks off after some drama happened right there in the Assembly too. Dissident TMC legislators basically pulled a parallel rebellion.

It’s not just one crack.

News18 had already dug up a list earlier nineteen names of TMC MPs who seemed to align with that Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar camp. And what really sticks out when you look at those names is how many are public figures. Actors, sports stars, cultural faces. People Mamata Banerjee personally picked and elevated to these parliamentary seats.

For years, she used this star power. It was the whole strategy. Bringing in popular faces from cinema, television, sports into politics. That worked. It helped the TMC dominate Bengal’s political scene for a long time.

But you know how it is when you test loyalty during a crisis. As Mamata faced what feels like the biggest challenge of her career, all those celebrities she trusted with their parliamentary tickets? They are now part of this internal revolt threatening to tear the party apart. It exposes something ugly about that old formula.

Here’s who we’re talking about the MPs involved in this big internal shake-up.

  • First up, Yusuf Pathan. A cricketer suddenly in the political arena.
  • Then there’s Saayoni Ghosh. Now she’s the president of the women’s wing. A real political climber.
  • Rachana Banerjee.
  • Kalipada Soren. It keeps that old pattern going: fielding respected intellectual figures.

June Malia entered politics in 2021, a familiar face from Bengali films and TV. She won the Medinipur Assembly seat. Three years later, Mamata pushed her into national politics too, fielding her from Medinipur where she managed to beat BJP’s Agnimitra Paul.

Dev Adhikari is another big name. One of Bengal's biggest film stars. Unlike some others, he built his own identity; his whole thing seems to revolve around that Ghatal Master Plan issue.

And Satabdi Roy. Among the earliest actors Mamata brought into the TMC. She entered Parliament back in 2009 from Birbhum and has held on ever since. Four straight victories. One of the party’s most successful celebrity politicians, by the numbers.

Then there is Partha Bhowmik. He’s a different kind of recruit. Unlike everyone else, he built his career through the party organization itself.

The strategy worked when the party was winning. It attracted voters. It projected a cultural connection across Bengal. But now? This rebellion shows where that foundation is weak.

These celebrity MPs don't always have deep, independent grassroots support. They rose because of Mamata’s popularity and the machinery she put in place. Some were political newcomers when they got into Parliament. Take Yusuf Pathan, for example. He had almost no political background, little connection to West Bengal before being fielded from Baharampur.

The model worked as long as TMC was clearly winning big. But once that momentum stalled? Cracks started showing. These celebrity MPs who were elevated by Mamata are now either in the rebel camp or backing leaders challenging her authority.

This whole rebellion throws a serious question into the air. Can star appeal really replace years of actual organizational work and real grassroots political engagement when you’re facing the absolute toughest test your career has ever seen?

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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