The prolonged absence of Trinamul’s Birbhum strongman from the political arena and a leadership vacuum has prompted chief minister Mamata Banerjee to convene a meeting of party leaders from the district on Friday to assess the situation in the run-up to the rural polls.

The meeting convened in Calcutta on Friday will see Mamata interacting with around 350 party leaders from Birbhum to discuss Trinamul’s state of affairs. The leaders will include those from gram panchayat and upwards.

Trinamul sources said a meeting of such magnitude was last held by party’s district president Mondal in June 2022. He was arrested by the CBI in connection with the multicrore cattle-smuggling case two months later. Mondal is now lodged in Tihar jail after he was taken to New Delhi by the Enforcement Directorate.

“Didi has asked chiefs of all 167-gram panchayats of Birbhum to be present at the meeting in Kalighat. The number won’t be less than 350 if all block chiefs, MLAs and district committee members are included among attendees at Friday’s meeting,” said a senior Trinamul leader in Birbhum.

“Such meetings are usually held by district party presidents. Now, Didi will head such a meeting,” he added.

Friday’s meeting with Birbhum leaders was announced after Mamata vowed to continue taking care of the party’s organisation in Birbhum on March 17 at her Kalighat residence. She had also announced her decision to take Birbhum party matters in hand in January.

During her last visit to Birbhum, Mamata had included Sheikh Kajal and Birbhum MP Satabdi Roy — both known to be a part of the anti-Anubrata camp — into a nine-member committee to strike a balance at the organisational level. But sources said many committee members were not on the same page.

“Several leaders like Kajal have started flexing muscles against those who once backed Anubrata Mondal.... There are reports of lack of coordination among members of the committee that Mamata formed. Grassroots leaders do not know who to consult...,” a Trinamul source in Birbhum said.

In Birbhum, Trinamul suffered a setback on March 21 when the BJP observed the first anniversary of the Bogtui massacre in a Muslim-dominated area in a big way but villagers did not turn up in good numbers for the Trinamul event on the same day.

A senior Trinamul source in Calcutta called Friday’s meeting vital. “The party’s supremo (Mamata) may confer multiple responsibilities to a few Birbhum leaders. The party’s organisation is facing a backlash by holding on to Anubrata Mondal as the district president. There are requests from leaders to divide Birbhum into two organisational districts — Birbhum and Bolpur. The issue may come up at Friday’s meeting,” the source said.