On 6 May, in her first interaction with party leaders and lawmakers after the West Bengal assembly election defeat, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee hinted that the party will increasingly focus on the legal battles—from challenging election results in a few dozen seats to safeguarding party workers from incidents of political violence.
“Chandrima and I will resume practising law in court. We—Chandrima, Biplab Mitra, and Biman Banerjee—will together handle the various cases as lawyers,” Banerjee told the gathering at her Kalighat residence, which also serves as the party’s central office.
Banerjee holds a law degree, but has rarely practiced, except for political posturing. Chandrima Bhattacharya, one of Banerjee’s most-trusted ministers in her government, was a reputed lawyer before getting involved in governance. Biman Banerjee, who served as the Speaker during the whole 15 year period of TMC rule, is also a lawyer and so is former minister Biplab Mitra.
Little did Banerjee know that she will, indeed, need a lot of lawyers pressed into service—not for her desired purpose of challenging electoral outcomes, but to ensure she does not lose her party, including the electoral symbol, funds, and assets, because the ownership of the Trinamool Congress brand itself is under threat.