Kolkata: While political strategist Prashant Kishor was charting his course by launching a party in Bihar, there were questions whether the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) would continue to assist the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. On Thursday, CM Mamata Banerjee indicated that the TMC was here to stay with I-PAC while addressing party workers at Netaji Indoor Stadium.
I-PAC partnered with the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC immediately after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, leveraging its strengths in voter outreach and surveys to hone the party’s campaign strategies in the 2021 Assembly polls. TMC won the 2019 elections with a staggering majority despite being often accused of corruption. But recently, a number of TMC leaders have come out against I-PAC, raising the prospect of a fracture.
This point was clarified by Mamata Banerjee in her remarks at the state conference of the party. She had, a few days ago, also met Pratik Jain, a senior member at I-PAC, which had drawn fresh speculation about an electoral tie-up. Banerjee’s statement on Thursday cleared the doubt about the I-PAC team working for TMC in the 2026 elections.
With a focus on the upcoming polls, the TMC chief also delivered a direct message to party members. Speaking in similar explosive terms into her phone, she distanced the current I-PAC from Prashant Kishor: “This is not PK’s I-PAC. He has also started his own political party—we should support the team we have now; they are a different team. How about avoiding relaying misinformation? Everybody’s got to work together.”
Banerjee’s current position is in stark contrast to her earlier remarks on the I-PAC at a meeting with party MLAs in the assembly. Sources maintain that previously she complained, ‘I don’t know this ‘Pack-Fack,’ and because of this I got lots of disinformation. Going forward, I will respond to things that are confronting me.
These comments had led to speculation that TMC was about to sever ties with I-PAC. Madan Mitra, the senior TMC leader, reportedly accused I-PAC of maligning Mamata Banerjee’s image in a controversial statement recently. First published: October 23, 2023, 19:36 IST. Nonetheless, in her latest statement, the party has reaffirmed its association with I-PAC.