Congress offers Mamata Banerjee party membership; BJP hits back

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury appealed to West Bengal's former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on October 1, 2026, to rejoin Congress along with her remaining legislators and parliamentarians. Chowdhury said Congress would accept her leadership in the state and urged the party high command to extend cooperation, including support for the Congress candidate in the Raiganj by-election.

Chowdhury made the appeal as TMC faces its deepest organizational crisis since its formation, with multiple MLAs and MPs rebelling after the 2026 assembly election defeat. He stated that TMC has little left after the electoral loss and that there is no need for a separate organization.

In response, BJP MP Soumitra Khan dismissed the Congress offer, claiming that neither Chowdhury nor Banerjee would be beneficial. Khan alleged Chowdhury is trying to save his parliamentary seat and suggested Banerjee's involvement would guarantee the Congress's political decline.