Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee and the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee consistently convey that the party stands with common people, and that individuals who wish to associate with it or contest elections are always welcome.
Reinforcing this approach, after laying utmost importance on people’s feedback while selecting candidates ahead of the 2023 Panchayat polls through the launch of “Trinamool-e-Naba-Jowar”, the ruling party, in the run-up to the crucial 2026 Assembly polls, is set to operate a drop-box at Trinamool Congress Bhawan till March 2, allowing individuals aspiring to contest the elections to walk in and submit their bio-data.
Those who are interested in contesting the polls may drop their credentials, but the final selection will be carried out by the party leadership.
It was learnt that a drop-box has been kept at Trinamool Bhawan for donation purposes, which the party will utilise during the course of the election campaigns.
The ruling party has already started its homework when it comes to nominating candidates for the upcoming assembly polls. Sources within Trinamool Congress said that the drop box will be kept for the public at Trinamool Congress Bhawan till March 2 after which the selection process will be carried out. It was learnt that there has been enthusiasm among the people around the idea of drop-box.
A party like TMC, which always emphasises democratic decentralisation, had carried out campaigns for empowering voters at the grassroots level in the past. Prodded by its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, TMC had launched “Trinamool-e-Naba-Jowar” ahead of the Panchayat polls in 2023 for selecting candidates for the three-tier panchayat system. Abhishek had traveled 3,500 kilometers across the state over 60 days, starting April 25, 2023, to connect directly with the masses.
TMC, under Abhishek’s leadership, had seen unprecedented success in the “Trinamool-e-Naba-Jowar” campaign, where the party took feedback on potential candidates from the villagers through secret ballots.
Sources within TMC said that the purpose behind opening the drop-box is to keep up with transparency and to reach people.
“The drop-box has been put on display at the party office. Many people from across the state are coming forward to drop their bio-data,” sources added.