The TMC they are a-changin': How Mamata Banerjee is changing her approach after Prashant Kishor came on board Banerjee was humbled after BJP won 18 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Bengal Jul 13, 2019, 09:02 AM IST The winds of change are sweeping through TMC after political strategist came on board. In her first press conference after TMC’s below par performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha Election, Banerjee had stressed that she will concentrate on the party. In the last one-and-a-half months, the Trinamool supremo has conducted over 10 organisational meetings. From ministers to local councillors, Banerjee has sat with all of them and the early outlines are visible. Here are some ways the party’s changing:

1. More emphasis on internal democracy

1/5 On every Friday in the last month, Banerjee is sitting with leaders from different districts from ministers to block level councillors. She has held more than 400 administrative meetings. While earlier such meetings had live coverage, they are now held away from the prying eye of the media. Without the media glare, Banerjee is interacting with grassroot workers and asking them to speak their minds, something that party insiders feel was the need of the day.



2. Shifting action back to TMC HQ

2/5 Even during the election season, the TMC headquarter bore a vacant look. Last year, Banerjee conducted only one meeting here. Now, senior party leaders including the likes of Subhendu Adhikary and Abhishek Banerjee have been assigned to sit in the party office on certain days of the week. They have been asked to listen to problems of the common worker. Banerjee herself has visited the party HQ 10 times and now all party organisational meeting take place here.



3. Reaching out to Opposition

3/5 For the first time in eight years, the SC/ST MLAs of Opposition parties got a call to attend the CM’s tribal review meeting. Not only has Banerjee invited them, she has asked them to be give suggestions for development. She has also asked party members to avoid unnecessary political violence stating that it was giving opposition more mileage.



4. Jan Sangjog Yatra

4/5 To cut out the idea that the TMC were behaving like overlords rather than elected leaders, Banerjee has asked party workers to increase public outreach. Leaders have been asked to do the Jan Sangjog Yatra and for party workers to hear public grievances. She even asked party workers to go the people and apologise if they’d made mistakes.



5. PK effect