Not just Mamata, nearly entire cabinet falls: 22 TMC ministers defeated in Bengal setback
Nearly 63% of the cabinet failed to retain their seats, a sign of a huge anti-incumbency that resulted in direct rejection of the ruling leadership.
- May 5, 2026,
- Updated May 5, 2026 1:37 PM IST
The Bharatiya Janata Party's sweep in West Bengal has not just unseated the Trinamool Congress - it has dismantled its leadership. Out of 35 ministers in the Mamata Banerjee government who contested the 2026 Assembly elections, 22 have lost, including the chief minister herself in Bhabanipur.
Don't Miss: Assembly elections over, will states be able to offer freebies?
Nearly 63% of the cabinet failed to retain their seats, a sign of a huge anti-incumbency that resulted in direct rejection of the ruling leadership.
The BJP won 206 seats, securing a two-thirds majority and ending the TMC's 15-year rule. The result carried added weight with Banerjee's defeat to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in a high-stakes contest that flipped after early trends.
Don't Miss: After historic win, BJP picks Tagore's birth anniversary for Bengal swearing-in
Ministers handling key departments - including housing, power, education, industry, transport, irrigation and backward classes - have all been defeated.
Among those who lost are Aroop Biswas in Tollygunge, Bratya Basu in Dum Dum, Chandrima Bhattacharya in Dum Dum Uttar and Shashi Panja in Shyampukur.
Udayan Guha lost in Dinhata, Manas Ranjan Bhunia in Sabang, and Moloy Ghatak in Asansol Uttar. In Kolkata, BJP's Purnima Chakraborty defeated industry minister Shashi Panja, signalling cracks even in urban pockets.
The defeats were not isolated. They stretched from Kolkata to North Bengal and into rural belts, cutting through what had been the party’s administrative and organisational backbone.
From a marginal vote share of around 4% in 2011, the BJP climbed to nearly 40% in 2019, emerged as the principal challenger in 2021, and has now crossed roughly 45% to convert that growth into power. The TMC’s vote share has dropped from 48% in 2021 to about 40.94%.
For the first time since 1972, West Bengal is set to be governed by a party that is also in power at the Centre - marking a decisive political shift.
The verdict marks a collapse of the incumbent leadership - from the chief minister to the cabinet - in one of the most sweeping electoral rejections in the state's recent history.
| List of TMC Ministers Who Lost | Portfolios | Constiteuncies |
| Mamata Banerjee | Chief Minister | Bhabanipur |
| Aroop Biswas | Housing, Power | Tollygunge |
| Bratya Basu | Higher Education, School Education | Dum Dum |
| Chandrima Bhattacharya | Environment, Finance, Programme Monitoring | Dum Dum Uttar |
| Shashi Panja | Industry, Commerce & Enterprises | Shyampukur |
| Sujit Bose | Fire and Emergency Services | Bidhannagar |
| Indranil Sen | Technical Education, Training & Skill Development; Tourism | Chandannagar |
| Becharam Manna | Agricultural Marketing | Singur |
| Swapan Debnath | Animal Resources Development | Purbasthali Dakshin |
| Bulu Chik Baraik | Backward Classes Welfare, Tribal Development | Mal |
| Pradip Kr. Mazumdar | Co-operation, Panchayats & Rural Development | Durgapur Purba |
| Birbaha Hansda | Forests, Self-Help Group & Self Employment | Binpur |
| Manas Ranjan Bhunia | Irrigation & Waterways | Sabang |
| Moloy Ghatak | Labour | Asansol Uttar |
| Siddiqullah Choudhury | Mass Education Extension and Library Services | Monteswar |
| Udayan Guha | North Bengal Development | Dinhata |
| Sandhyarani Tudu | Paschimanchal Unnayan Affairs | Manbazar |
| Bankim Chandra Hazra | Sundarban Affairs | Sagar |
| Ujjal Biswas | Science & Technology and Bio-Technology | Krishnanagar Dakshin |
| Snehasis Chakraborty | Transport | Jangipara |
| Srikant Mahato | MoS-Consumer Affairs | Salboni |
| Satyajit Barman | MoS- School Education | Hemtabad |
The Bharatiya Janata Party's sweep in West Bengal has not just unseated the Trinamool Congress - it has dismantled its leadership. Out of 35 ministers in the Mamata Banerjee government who contested the 2026 Assembly elections, 22 have lost, including the chief minister herself in Bhabanipur.
Don't Miss: Assembly elections over, will states be able to offer freebies?
Nearly 63% of the cabinet failed to retain their seats, a sign of a huge anti-incumbency that resulted in direct rejection of the ruling leadership.
The BJP won 206 seats, securing a two-thirds majority and ending the TMC's 15-year rule. The result carried added weight with Banerjee's defeat to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in a high-stakes contest that flipped after early trends.
Don't Miss: After historic win, BJP picks Tagore's birth anniversary for Bengal swearing-in
Ministers handling key departments - including housing, power, education, industry, transport, irrigation and backward classes - have all been defeated.
Among those who lost are Aroop Biswas in Tollygunge, Bratya Basu in Dum Dum, Chandrima Bhattacharya in Dum Dum Uttar and Shashi Panja in Shyampukur.
Udayan Guha lost in Dinhata, Manas Ranjan Bhunia in Sabang, and Moloy Ghatak in Asansol Uttar. In Kolkata, BJP's Purnima Chakraborty defeated industry minister Shashi Panja, signalling cracks even in urban pockets.
The defeats were not isolated. They stretched from Kolkata to North Bengal and into rural belts, cutting through what had been the party’s administrative and organisational backbone.
From a marginal vote share of around 4% in 2011, the BJP climbed to nearly 40% in 2019, emerged as the principal challenger in 2021, and has now crossed roughly 45% to convert that growth into power. The TMC’s vote share has dropped from 48% in 2021 to about 40.94%.
For the first time since 1972, West Bengal is set to be governed by a party that is also in power at the Centre - marking a decisive political shift.
The verdict marks a collapse of the incumbent leadership - from the chief minister to the cabinet - in one of the most sweeping electoral rejections in the state's recent history.
| List of TMC Ministers Who Lost | Portfolios | Constiteuncies |
| Mamata Banerjee | Chief Minister | Bhabanipur |
| Aroop Biswas | Housing, Power | Tollygunge |
| Bratya Basu | Higher Education, School Education | Dum Dum |
| Chandrima Bhattacharya | Environment, Finance, Programme Monitoring | Dum Dum Uttar |
| Shashi Panja | Industry, Commerce & Enterprises | Shyampukur |
| Sujit Bose | Fire and Emergency Services | Bidhannagar |
| Indranil Sen | Technical Education, Training & Skill Development; Tourism | Chandannagar |
| Becharam Manna | Agricultural Marketing | Singur |
| Swapan Debnath | Animal Resources Development | Purbasthali Dakshin |
| Bulu Chik Baraik | Backward Classes Welfare, Tribal Development | Mal |
| Pradip Kr. Mazumdar | Co-operation, Panchayats & Rural Development | Durgapur Purba |
| Birbaha Hansda | Forests, Self-Help Group & Self Employment | Binpur |
| Manas Ranjan Bhunia | Irrigation & Waterways | Sabang |
| Moloy Ghatak | Labour | Asansol Uttar |
| Siddiqullah Choudhury | Mass Education Extension and Library Services | Monteswar |
| Udayan Guha | North Bengal Development | Dinhata |
| Sandhyarani Tudu | Paschimanchal Unnayan Affairs | Manbazar |
| Bankim Chandra Hazra | Sundarban Affairs | Sagar |
| Ujjal Biswas | Science & Technology and Bio-Technology | Krishnanagar Dakshin |
| Snehasis Chakraborty | Transport | Jangipara |
| Srikant Mahato | MoS-Consumer Affairs | Salboni |
| Satyajit Barman | MoS- School Education | Hemtabad |