Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday said the party would act within three months against functionaries of civic and rural bodies run by the TMC and organisational heads in areas where the party had failed to perform in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

"As the TMC national general secretary, I want to ensure that those gram panchayat representatives, municipality chairpersons, vice-chairpersons or councillors, who failed to rally people behind the party in their areas and get the desired results during the elections, certainly face stern action," Abhishek said at the Martyrs' Day rally in Calcutta.

During his closed-door review meetings with district office-bearers of the TMC before the Lok Sabha polls, Abhishek had sent out a clear message that no elected local body representative or organisational chief would be spared if they failed to ensure lead for the party's Lok Sabha candidate in their respective areas.

"In the case of a municipality, besides its chairman, action will be taken against the party's town president. Similarly, in the case of failure in a particular gram panchayat, its chief will face the consequences, along with its zonal president," Abhishek said on Sunday.

After Abhishek took a "short hiatus" from the organisation on June 12, a week after the Lok Sabha polls result, many in the TMC contemplated that no action would be taken against the non-performers according to Abhishek's warning.

Although the TMC had won 29 out of 42 seats in Bengal, it faced a setback in urban areas as the BJP got significant leads in 69 out of 125 towns. The saffron camp's performance in urban pockets became a headache for Mamata Banerjee's party as it also lagged behind the BJP in 45 wards in Calcutta.

A source said the TMC had already prepared a list of municipalities where it would change chairpersons and local organisational heads.

Trinamul supporters at the Martyrs' Day rally on Sunday

"In the past one-and-a-half months, I did not participate in any organisational events as I was busy reviewing election results. Everyone will see the result within three months. I am a man of my word and always keep my promises," added the Diamond Harbour MP.

TMC insiders said after Abhishek had reviewed the results of several elections, he discovered that those local leaders who had sacrificed their sweat and blood to win rural or civic polls did not put in similar efforts for Assembly or general elections.

Abhishek said the party would not spare those leaders who thought they could ensure victory in local body elections with party tickets and ignore the task for Lok Sabha or Assembly polls, assuming that the candidates would win with the help of speeches made by him or his aunt.

"There is no place for self-satisfaction with the election result. From this Martyrs' Day rally today, we need to start preparations to ensure that the upcoming victories should be greater than those secured in the 2016 and 2021 Assembly polls and the 2024 general election," said the Diamond Harbour MP.

Abhishek also said the party should have a balance between newcomers and the old guard to go ahead with a stronger organisation.

"Those newcomers to the party have to know the fight of Mamata Banerjee, the history of Trinamool, and this July 21. The veterans have to take the newcomers with them to fight together. There should be a balance (between the newcomers and veterans). The old guard's experience and the enthusiasm of the newly joined workers will strengthen the party as they are the two flowers from the same stalk," said Abhishek, emphasising that despite the BJP using its money and muscle power and unleashing central investigation agencies, the saffron camp had failed to win the elections.

A section of TMC workers found significance in Abhishek's comment on balancing old guards and newcomers following the recent change in the organisational powerhouse in the arrangement of the July 21 rally.

The TMC's rank and file suddenly witnessed that the office of the party's state president, Subrata Bakshi, was activated in organising the Martyrs' Day event, instead of Abhishek Banerjee's office, which had meticulously done the task in a corporate style last year.

Abhishek said the people of Bengal had rejected the BJP because of its politics of deprivation and humiliating Bengal. He also maintained that the Sandeskhali issue, which became a strong campaign tool for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, was a conspiracy. He said despite the BJP's conspiracy, the TMC won the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, which covers Sandeshkhali, by a margin of over 3.5 lakh votes.