15 out of 23: TMC’s commanding Bar Council win offers Mamata camp political relief

The numbers tell a striking political story: 15 out of 23 elected seats have gone to Trinamool Congress-backed candidates in the West Bengal Bar Council, handing the Mamata Banerjee-led party a significant boost after months of political turbulence.

The BJP, which made major political gains in West Bengal, managed to secure only three seats in the lawyers' representative body.

The Left Front also won three seats, while the Congress bagged two. The result underlines the TMC's continuing organisational influence among sections of the state's legal fraternity.

The result is particularly significant for the TMC, which has been navigating a difficult phase marked by internal dissent, defections, court cases and a series of allegations following the Bengal Assembly elections.

The Bar Council verdict now offers the party some much-needed political breathing room and a morale boost.

The women's quota also tilted heavily in favour of the TMC. Of the five seats reserved for women, four were won by TMC-backed candidates, while the remaining seat went to the Congress.

Two more women nominees are to be selected by the Bar Council of India in accordance with Supreme Court directions, taking the total strength of the West Bengal Bar Council to 25 members.

A total of 75 candidates contested the election. The TMC fielded candidates for all 23 elected positions, while the BJP contested 22 seats and the Left Front put up candidates for 12. Another 18 candidates entered the fray independently.

The BJP and Congress retained their previous tallies of three and two seats respectively.

The Left Front, however, suffered a marginal setback, with its representation falling from four seats in the previous election to three this time.

The victory triggered celebrations within the TMC camp. Subhashis Chakraborty, associated with the party's lawyers' cell, emerged as the highest-margin winner.

Other prominent TMC-backed winners included Baisanor Chatterjee, Ansar Mondal, Ashok Deb, Indranil Basu and Siddhartha Mukherjee.

The winning TMC candidates were reportedly selected on the recommendations of Mamata Banerjee, further highlighting the political significance attached to the contest.

Reacting to the outcome, the AITC WB Information Technology & Social Media Wing declared on X, 'TMC sweeps the West Bengal Bar Association elections! BJP wiped out!'

The election process had begun on March 9, just days before the Assembly elections.

Its outcome now gives the TMC a fresh point of political leverage, suggesting that despite recent setbacks, its organisational network continues to retain considerable influence within important professional institutions in West Bengal.