Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar Slams I-PAC for TMC’s Assembly Losses

In a candid assessment of Trinamool Congress’s recent electoral performance, senior MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has held the party’s external poll managers partly responsible for the setback. The longtime leader, who joined during the party’s days in opposition, contrasted the sacrifices of early members with the attitude of those who arrived only after power was secured. Dastidar told IANS that I-PAC operatives treated dedicated volunteers like subordinates rather than partners, breeding widespread resentment. She argued that campaign strategy cannot be dictated from outside without understanding Bengal’s unique political culture, a shortfall she believes cost the party dearly in several pockets. The MP also acknowledged pockets of anti-incumbency triggered by complaints of local corruption and the controversial deletion of voter names during the Special Intensive Revision exercise. Her decision to step down as Barasat district president, she said, reflected accountability after five of seven segments registered defeats. Calling for course correction before 2026, Dastidar warned that any repeat of centralized, top-down campaign management risks further erosion of the party’s once-unbreakable connect with the masses.