A crucial meeting of newly elected Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators, scheduled to be chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday, was called off after only around 20 of the party's 80 MLAs turned up, triggering a major political talking point amid escalating tensions between the TMC and the BJP.

The meeting, slated for 3 pm at Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence in Kolkata, was expected to bring together the party's newly elected legislators. However, nearly three-fourths of the MLAs remained absent, forcing the Trinamool legislative party to postpone the gathering.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the low attendance was linked to the party's ongoing agitation following the alleged attacks on TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday and party MP Kalyan Banerjee on Sunday.

According to Ghosh, several legislators were engaged in organising protests at the grassroots level and assisting party workers who had allegedly been detained during demonstrations.

"The absentee MLAs, who are stuck with managing the ground situation, assisting our workers who have been arrested, had informed the legislative party of the developments and requested if the meeting could be temporarily postponed," Ghosh told reporters.

Despite the cancellation, party sources said Mamata Banerjee held informal discussions with the legislators who attended the meeting.

The TMC maintained that the absence of around 60 MLAs was due to the party's protest programmes and the political developments unfolding across the state.

The TMC has not yet announced a fresh date for the legislators' meeting.

What are TMC's next protest plans?

Amid the latest political controversy, the party announced an intensified protest campaign over the next 48 hours.

Ghosh said TMC leaders would organise protest rallies at block levels in rural areas and municipal wards in urban centres on Monday. The demonstrations will focus on the alleged attacks on Abhishek Banerjee, Kalyan Banerjee and party workers.

The party has also announced a day-long symbolic sit-in protest in central Kolkata on Tuesday, to be led by Mamata Banerjee.

The dharna will be held at Rani Rashmoni Road in Esplanade against what the party described as post-poll violence and hawker evictions being carried out through bulldozer action. Further political programmes are expected to be announced from the protest platform on June 2.

With PTI inputs