Trinamool Congress facts for kids

Quick facts for kids All India Trinamool Congress
Abbreviation	AITC (official) TMC (alternatives)
Parliamentary Chairperson	Sudip Bandyopadhyay
Lok Sabha leader	Sudip Bandyopadhyay
Rajya Sabha leader	Derek O' Brien
Founder	Mamata Banerjee
Founded	1 January 1998 (27 years ago) (1998-01-01)
Split from	Indian National Congress
Headquarters	30B Harish Chatterjee Street, Kolkata 700026
Newspaper	Jago Bangla (Bengali)
Student wing	Trinamool Chaatra Parishad
Youth wing	All India Trinamool Youth Congress
Women's wing	Trinamool Mahila Congress
Labour wing	Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress
Peasant's wing	Trinamool Kisan Khet Majdur Congress
Ideology	Bengali nationalism Regionalism Populism Welfarism Economic liberalism Secularism
Political position	Centre
Colours	Green
ECI Status	State Party
Alliance	National Democratic Alliance (1998–2006) United Progressive Alliance (2009–2012) Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (2023–present)
Seats in Lok Sabha	29 / 543
Seats in Rajya Sabha	13 / 245
Seats in State Legislative Assemblies	228 / 4,036 Indian states 222 / 294 (West Bengal) 5 / 60 (Meghalaya)
Number of states and union territories in government	1 / 31
Election symbol
Party flag
Elections

The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), also known as TMC, is a major political party in India. It is most powerful in the state of West Bengal. The party was started by Mamata Banerjee on January 1, 1998. It quickly became very important in the politics of West Bengal.

Today, the AITC is the ruling party in West Bengal. It is also the third-largest party in India based on the number of its members in the Parliament. The party is led by Mamata Banerjee, who is its chairperson.

History of the Party

How the Party Started

Mamata Banerjee had been a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) for over 26 years. In 1998, she left the INC and created the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The official symbol of the TMC is Jora Ghas Phul, which means "two flowers with grass".

In its first national election in 1998, the TMC won seven seats. In the next election in 1999, it won eight seats. In 2000, the TMC also won the local elections in Kolkata. The party first joined an alliance called the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). However, after losing many seats in the 2004 and 2006 elections, the TMC left the NDA.

The Nandigram Movement

In December 2006, people in Nandigram were told that their homes and land would be taken for a new chemical plant. About 70,000 people were going to lose their homes. The TMC helped lead a movement to protest this. A group called the Bhumi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee (meaning 'Committee against Land Evictions') was formed.

On March 14, 2007, police opened fire on the protesters. Many villagers were killed or went missing. This event caused a lot of anger against the government at the time. It also helped the TMC gain more support from the public.

After Nandigram and Singur

After these events, the TMC gained more power. In the 2009 national election, the TMC won 19 seats in West Bengal. They worked with the Congress party. Mamata Banerjee became the Minister of Railways in the government.

In 2010, the party won a large number of seats in the Kolkata local elections. They also won most other local elections.

The Party in Government

Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal and leader of the All India Trinamool Congress.

In the 2011 state election in West Bengal, the TMC and its allies won a huge victory. They won 227 out of 294 seats. This ended the 34-year rule of the previous government. The TMC alone won 184 seats, which meant they could govern without needing an alliance. Since May 20, 2011, the TMC has been the ruling party in West Bengal.

In 2012, Mamata Banerjee decided to stop supporting the national government. This was because the TMC disagreed with some of the government's new rules.

In the 2014 national election, the TMC won 34 out of 42 seats in West Bengal. Because of its success in several states, the Election Commission officially recognized TMC as a national political party in 2016.

The party won again in the 2016 state election. Mamata Banerjee continued to be the Chief Minister. In the 2019 national election, the TMC won the most seats in West Bengal. However, they lost some seats to another party.

In the 2021 state election, Mamata Banerjee's government was reelected. They won by a surprisingly large number of votes.

Where Else the Party is Present

The Trinamool Congress has tried to grow its presence in other states across India.

Arunachal Pradesh

In the 2009 state election in Arunachal Pradesh, the TMC won five seats.

Assam

In 2001, the TMC won one seat in the Assam state election. In 2021, the party decided to have candidates in 14 areas for the state elections. In 2021, Sushmita Dev, a well-known leader, joined the TMC. In 2022, Ripun Bora became the President of the TMC in Assam.

Bihar

In November 2021, Kirti Azad, a former Member of Parliament, joined the TMC in Bihar.

Goa

The TMC started working to organize its party in Goa in 2021. Many people joined, including former Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro. In the 2022 state election in Goa, the TMC received 5.2% of the votes.

Haryana

In November 2021, Ashok Tanwar, a former party president in Haryana, joined the TMC.

Kerala

The TMC started its unit in Kerala in 2009. In the 2014 national election, TMC candidates ran for five seats. The party is active in all parts of Kerala.

Manipur

In the 2012 state election in Manipur, the TMC won eight seats. This made it the main opposition party. In the 2017 state election, the party won only one seat.

Meghalaya

In 2004, a TMC candidate won a seat in Meghalaya by a large number of votes. In November 2021, Mukul Sangma, a former Chief Minister of Meghalaya, joined the TMC. He joined with 11 other members, making TMC the largest opposition party in Meghalaya. In the 2023 state election, the TMC won five seats.

Mizoram

In 2023, an independent member joined the TMC in Mizoram.

Punjab

The party started working in Punjab before the 2017 state elections. They had candidates for 20 seats but did not win any. The party has continued to be present in Punjab since 2019.

Tripura

In 2016, six members of another party joined the TMC in Tripura. They wanted to fight against the ruling party there. However, these members later left the TMC and joined a different party. In the 2021 local elections in Tripura, the TMC won one seat. It also became the second-largest party in terms of votes in the areas it competed in.

Uttar Pradesh

The TMC started its unit in Uttar Pradesh in 2005. In 2012, a TMC candidate won a special election for one seat. In 2021, two senior leaders from another party joined the TMC in Uttar Pradesh.

Election Results

The Trinamool Congress takes part in national and state elections.

National Election Results

Year	Lok Sabha	Party leader	Seats contested	Seats won	Seats +/-	Vote % (in whole country)	Vote swing	Ref.
1998	12th Lok Sabha	Mamata Banerjee	29	7 / 543	7	2.42%	new
1999	13th Lok Sabha		29	8 / 543	1	2.57%	0.15%
2004	14th Lok Sabha		33	2 / 543	6	2.07%	0.5%
2009	15th Lok Sabha		26	19 / 543	17	3.20%	1.15%
2014	16th Lok Sabha		131	34 / 543	15	3.84%	0.64%
2019	17th Lok Sabha		62	22 / 543	12	4.11%	0.27%
2024	18th Lok Sabha			29/543	7	4.37%	0.26%

State Election Results

Legislative Assembly elections

Election Year	Party leader	Seats contested	Seats won	Change in seats	Percentage of votes	Vote swing	Popular vote	Result
Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly
2009		26	5 / 60	5	15.04%	–	86,406	Others
Assam Legislative Assembly
2001		23	1 / 126	1	0.55%	–	58,361	Others
2011		126	1 / 126		2.05%	–	283,683	Others
Goa Legislative Assembly
2022	Luizinho Faleiro	29	0 / 40		5.2%	–	49,480	Others
Manipur Legislative Assembly
2012	Maibam Kunjo	60	7 / 60	7	17%	–	237,517	Opposition
2017		60	1 / 60	6	1.4%	15.6%	23,304	Others
Meghalaya Legislative Assembly
2023	Mukul Sangma	56	5 / 60	5	13.78%	13.38%	255,742	Opposition
Tripura Legislative Assembly
2018		24	0 / 60		0.3%	–	6,989	Others
2023	Pijush Kanti Biswas	28	0 / 60		0.88%	–	22,316	Others
Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly
2012 (By-election)		1	1 / 403	1		–		Others
West Bengal Legislative Assembly
2001	Mamata Banerjee	226	60 / 294	60	30.66%	–	11,229,396	Opposition
2006	Mamata Banerjee	257	30 / 294	30	26.64%	4.02%	10,512,153	Opposition
2011	Mamata Banerjee	226	184 / 294	154	38.93%	12.29%	18,547,678	Government
2016	Mamata Banerjee	293	211 / 294	27	44.91%	5.98%	24,564,523	Government
2021	Mamata Banerjee	290	215 / 294	4	48.02%	3.11%	28,968,281	Government

Presidential election results

Election	Candidate	First round		Second round		Result
		Votes	%	Votes	%
2022	Yashwant Sinha	380,177	35.97	N/A		Lost

Party Symbols and Slogans

A party office of the Trinamool Congress in Howrah.

The name Trinamool means "grassroots" in Bengali. This shows that the party wants to represent ordinary people. Its symbol, Jora Ghas Phul (two flowers with grass), also represents this idea. The words "All India" in its name show that the party wanted to be different from the older, more "elite" Indian National Congress.

Ma Mati Manush (meaning "Mother, Motherland, and People") is a very famous slogan. Mamata Banerjee created it. This slogan became very popular during the 2011 state election. Mamata Banerjee even wrote a book and recorded a song with this title.

Another slogan used by the party is Joy Bangla. This slogan helps create a sense of identity for Bengalis in India. It is often used at the end of political speeches.

In the 2021 state election, the party used the song "Khela Hobe" (meaning "Game On"). This song was written by a young member of the party. The phrase "Khela Hobe" has since been used by other parties across India.

Party Leadership

The main group that makes decisions for the party is called the Core Committee.

• Mamata Banerjee is the founder and chairperson. She is also the Chief Minister of West Bengal.
• Abhishek Banerjee is the General Secretary.
• Derek O'Brien leads the party in the Rajya Sabha (one of the two houses of the Indian Parliament).
• Sudip Bandyopadhyay leads the party in the Lok Sabha (the other house of the Indian Parliament).
• Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is the Deputy leader in the Lok Sabha.
• Kalyan Banerjee is the Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha.
• Sukhendu Shekhar Roy is the Chief Whip in the Rajya Sabha.
• Mukul Sangma is a former Leader of the Opposition in Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.
• Aroop Biswas is the Treasurer.
• Sobhandeb Chatteejee is the Deputy Leader of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

State and Union Territory Leaders

This is a list of the main leaders for the All India Trinamool Congress in different states and union territories.

List of Chairpersons

• Ajit Kumar Panja (1998–2001)
• Mamata Banerjee (2001–present)

List of National General Secretaries

• Mukul Roy (2006 – 2015)
• Subrata Bakshi (2015–2021)
• Abhishek Banerjee (2021–present)

Images for kids

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  The official symbol of the All India Trinamool Congress.

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  The flag of the All India Trinamool Congress.