Arrests, mass resignations, ‘bulldozer action’ deepen Trinamool’s crisis across West Bengal

Demolition notices for illegal construction of buildings continued to be issued in West Bengal. A police team visited Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s residence on Monday (May 25, 2026) to collect security equipment. Kolkata Police officials described the visit as a routine exercise.  Arrests of local Trinamool leaders have also continued in the three weeks since the new government came to power. 

A TMC party office in Hooghly district’s Konnagar area was razed on Monday. The Trinamool office had been illegally constructed on government land, allegedly by local TMC councillor Khokon Pal, and was thus taken down by a bulldozer, official sources said.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation had previously sent notices to several properties linked to Mr. Banerjee, seeking clarification about deviations from originally sanctioned plans.

Bulldozers deployed 

Bulldozers were also deployed in Kolkata’s Beleghata, Bosepukur, Tiljala, and Kasba areas on Sunday (May 24, 2026) to demolish illegal multi-storeyed buildings allegedly connected to former or current TMC leaders, and local strongmen associated with the party. 

A show-cause notice alleging illegal construction has been issued to a building owned by Kasba MLA Javed Khan, who has been asked to show valid papers for the building or be warned of demolition work from Monday (May 26, 2026). However, Mr. Khan claimed that the building had no legality issues. 

“We will take action against whoever in the government was responsible for looking into illegal construction, the ones who constructed it, developed it, and invested money in it,” Minister Agnimitra Paul told mediapersons while visiting one of the demolition sites in Kolkata. 

On Sunday, similar action on illegal structures was seen across districts too, including in Purulia and Khanakul.  

Both razing down illegal structures, and the arrest of TMC leaders, appears to have been amped up since the BJP assumed power in the State for the first time on May 4, 2026. Several buildings across the State and in Kolkata have come under the government’s scanner, and many have already faced demolition. 

Earlier, on Sunday (May 24, 2026), the TMC chairperson launched a sharp criticism of the current government for deploying bulldozers, the arrest of party workers, and the alleged harassment of many people after the election. However, many in the party’s top leadership have largely remained silent on these issues. 

Facing uncertainty 

The TMC regime in the State was voted out after 15 years, yet they still hold power in the municipalities and panchayats. Many councillors have resigned, and some councillors and panchayat pradhans have been arrested in the past few weeks, with the TMC further affected by the loss of local body members.

A local TMC councillor’s husband, Bappaditya Das, was arrested in Birbhum’s Suri area on Monday. Another TMC leader, Abhishek Da, was arrested from Bardhaman for extortion and intimidation.  

On Monday, at least 30 councillors in the Bhatpara municipality, including the chairman, handed in their resignation. A similar situation was reported from the Diamond Harbour municipality, where eight of the 16 TMC councillors resigned. In the Halisahar, Kanthi, North Barrackpore, and Garulia municipalities, over half the TMC councillors have resigned en masse in some areas.  

At least a dozen councillors from various districts across the State have been arrested, and many have been grilled by the police. 

Senior TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar also resigned as the party’s Barasat organisational district president, and took moral responsibility for the party’s loss in the area. She launched sharp criticism of the TMC’s conduct, and the role of I-PAC in the humiliating electoral loss.