During the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, the Trinamool Congress leadership is battling electoral challenges from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left-Congress combine. It is equally grappling with a challenge from within: the divide between the old guard and the new leadership.
The demand for making way for new faces in the party has been growing stronger with every passing day. Yet, the Trinamool leadership has been conservative in the allocation of tickets. In Dum Dum, for instance, it has fielded the senior-most member of the party, Saugata Roy, 76.
In Kolkata Uttar, the Trinamool has fielded Sudip Banerjee, 75. While some party leaders believe that Sudip Banerjee, a nine-time MP, is too old to contest, Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh has accused him of not being accessible to the people of his constituency, not allowing other leaders in the party to be appointed to key organisational posts, being soft on his political opponents, and maintaining good relations with the BJP leadership.
