From Saayoni Ghosh To Yusuf Pathan, Why Mamata's Experiment To Turn Stars Into MPs Backfired

Last Updated:June 10, 2026, 20:33 IST

For years, Mamata relied on star power to broaden the TMC's appeal, bringing popular faces from cinema, television and sports into politics.

Following Mamata Banerjee’s defeat in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) appears headed for a split in Parliament, with 20 rebel MPs informing Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla about the formation of a separate parliamentary bloc under the leadership of Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and extending support to the BJP-led NDA.

The development comes after a parallel rebellion in the Assembly, where dissident TMC legislators claimed the backing of 58 MLAs and defied the party leadership by supporting Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition instead of the TMC’s official nominee, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay.

News18 had earlier reported the names of 19 of the 20 rebel MPs aligned with the Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar camp. What stands out is that nine of them are celebrities — actors, sportspersons and cultural figures — whom Mamata Banerjee personally handpicked and elevated to the Lok Sabha.

For years, Mamata relied on star power to broaden the TMC’s appeal, bringing popular faces from cinema, television and sports into politics. The strategy delivered electoral success and helped the party dominate Bengal’s political landscape.

But political loyalty is often tested during moments of crisis. As Mamata faces the biggest challenge of her political career, many of the celebrities she trusted with parliamentary tickets are now part of the rebellion that threatens to weaken her grip on the party.

Here’s a look at the celebrity MPs who once symbolised Mamata’s winning formula and are now at the centre of the TMC’s biggest internal revolt.

Yusuf Pathan

A member of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup-winning squads, Yusuf Pathan entered politics ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Despite criticism from rivals for being an “outsider", the former cricketer defeated Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Baharampur by over 85,000 votes.

Saayoni Ghosh

The actress joined the TMC in 2021 and quickly became one of the party’s most visible campaigners. Though she lost her Assembly debut from Asansol, Mamata Banerjee promoted her as Youth TMC president and later fielded her from Jadavpur, where she secured a landslide victory of more than two lakh votes. She was recently made president of the TMC women’s wing.

Rachana Banerjee

A household name in Bengal through the hit reality show Didi No. 1, Rachana Banerjee entered politics ahead of the 2024 elections. Mamata banked on her popularity among women voters and fielded her from Hooghly in a high-profile contest against BJP leader and actress Locket Chatterjee.

Shatrughan Sinha

The actor-turned-politician has had stints in the BJP and Congress before joining the TMC in 2022. Mamata Banerjee fielded him in the Asansol Lok Sabha bypoll, where he won by more than three lakh votes, giving the veteran leader a fresh political base in Bengal.

Kalipada Soren

Known by his pen name Kherwal Soren, the Santali writer and playwright is a Sahitya Akademi Award and Padma Shri recipient. Mamata chose him for the tribal-dominated Jhargram seat in 2024, continuing her strategy of fielding respected cultural and intellectual figures.

June Malia

A familiar face in Bengali films and television, June Malia entered politics in 2021 and won the Medinipur Assembly seat. Three years later, Mamata elevated her to national politics, fielding her from Medinipur, where she defeated BJP’s Agnimitra Paul.

Dev Adhikari

One of Bengal’s biggest film stars, Dev Adhikari entered politics in 2014 and has since won the Ghatal Lok Sabha seat three times. Unlike many celebrity politicians, he gradually built a political identity of his own, with the Ghatal Master Plan becoming his signature issue.

Satabdi Roy

Among the earliest actors brought into the TMC by Mamata Banerjee, Satabdi Roy entered Parliament in 2009 from Birbhum and has retained the seat ever since. Her four consecutive victories make her one of the party’s most successful celebrity politicians.

Partha Bhowmik

Unlike most celebrity recruits, Partha Bhowmik built his political career through the party organisation. A three-term MLA, former minister and North 24 Parganas district president, he entered Parliament in 2024 after defeating BJP heavyweight Arjun Singh from Barrackpore.

Why Mamata’s Star Experiment Backfired

Mamata Banerjee has been bringing actors, sportspersons and other celebrities into the party fold for years. The strategy worked well electorally, helping the TMC attract voters and project a strong cultural connect across Bengal.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she fielded actors Nusrat Jahan and Mimi Chakraborty, both of whom won comfortably. The formula was repeated in subsequent elections, with more celebrities being drafted into active politics.

However, the ongoing rebellion within the TMC has exposed a key weakness in the strategy.

Many of these celebrity MPs lack an independent grassroots base and rose politically on the strength of Mamata Banerjee’s popularity and the party’s organisational machinery. Several were political debutants when they entered Parliament. Yusuf Pathan, for instance, had no political background and little connection with West Bengal before being fielded from Baharampur.

The model worked as long as the TMC remained electorally dominant. But after the party’s first major defeat in 15 years, cracks began to emerge. Several celebrity MPs who were elevated by Mamata are now part of the rebel camp or are backing leaders challenging the party leadership.

The rebellion has reignited questions over whether celebrity appeal can substitute for years of organisational work and grassroots political engagement when a party faces its toughest political test.

About the Author

Saurabh VermaSenior Sub-editor

Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Chief Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19

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