As Kejriwal, Tejashwi rally behind Mamata, why Congress must read between the lines

A clearer pattern is now emerging in West Bengal’s 2026 election campaign—and it goes beyond optics. The involvement of key INDIA bloc leaders in support of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) is no longer symbolic; it is organisational, targeted and politically loaded. This is happening even as the Congress, a key INDIA bloc constituent, has sharpened its attacks on Mamata, turning Rahul Gandhi’s long silence on “an ally” into a political onslaught.

In campaigning for the second phase of polling scheduled on April 29, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s intervention has been highly focused. He travelled to Kolkata on April 25 and campaigned specifically in Beleghata and Ballygunge for TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, signalling that his support extended beyond Mamata. The messaging centred on presenting the Bengal election as part of a broader national fight against the BJP, reinforcing Mamata’s positioning as a frontline Opposition leader.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav’s campaign has been more demographic and political in tone. He has been actively touring constituencies with significant migrant or Hindi-speaking populations, reaching out to Bihari-origin voters.

Tejashwi has framed the election as a “battle for democratic survival” and emphasised that these communities stand with Mamata. This is significant as it suggests a conscious attempt to expand the TMC’s social coalition beyond its traditional Bengali base, with backing from north Indian regional players.

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, who heads the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), meanwhile, has brought a federal and regional narrative into the campaign. He addressed rallies in the Junglemahal belt earlier, where there is a significant tribal base.

In the second phase of the campaign, Soren will be addressing rallies in Shibpur in Howrah and Dumdum Uttar. He has warned of “external forces” trying to destabilise Bengal, echoing Mamata’s longstanding plank of resisting central government interference in state affairs. His presence reinforces the idea of a coalition of regional leaders defending state autonomy against the BJP’s alleged manoeuvres. Taken together, these campaigns are not random endorsements but complementary political interventions, say analysts.

In sharp contrast stands Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s campaign, which has been unusually direct in its criticism of the Bengal chief minister. Across the four rallies that Rahul has addressed so far, he has accused Mamata of failing Bengal economically and politically. He argued that industries in the state were facing a “double blow”, alleging that Mamata had shut down factories while the Narendra Modi government had weakened the national economy.

Rahul even questioned Mamata’s credibility as an anti-BJP leader. He suggested that he opposes the BJP and faces legal action, and asked why there are not “36, 38 or 40 cases” against Mamata. At another rally, Rahul alleged that both Modi and Mamata “help the rich, not the poor”.

This line of attack marks a significant escalation. Rahul has also raised concern through social media over the murder of a Congress worker in Bengal, allegedly by TMC supporters. This shift to aggressive stance comes within days of Rahul ringing up TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to thank and congratulate him after the collapse of the delimitation bill in Parliament. Interestingly, Rahul has not raised any direct attack against Abhishek in his election speeches.

The contrast is stark. On one side are Kejriwal, Tejashwi and Soren, effectively validating Mamata as a central Opposition figure and lending her cross-regional legitimacy. On the other side is the Congress, attempting to reclaim primacy within the Opposition by discrediting her claim to that role.

Is a new political possibility taking shape within this tension? TMC sources suggest that a decisive victory in Bengal for their party could formalise this emerging alignment. “But of course, we will not leave the Congress aside. However, they will have to accept the reality that it is Mamata Banerjee who has defeated the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah nexus,” said a TMC insider.

That statement captures the moment. What is unfolding in Bengal is not yet a formal split, but it is no longer just a tactical divergence either. It is a contest over leadership, legitimacy and the future structure of Opposition politics.

If Mamata’s TMC wins convincingly, the campaigns of Kejriwal, Tejashwi and Soren may be remembered as the early scaffolding of a new power centre within the INDIA bloc—one where regional leaders coalesce around a figure outside the Congress fold even as the alliance itself continues to exist on paper.

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