Trinamul supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she would revamp the party organisation from the block to the district level and hold meetings with booth-level party leaders, a move party insiders said was planned with an eye on the panchayat polls scheduled next year.

“We are now collecting suggestions from our party leaders and will start revamping block and district committees from May 20. We will reorganise both the mother and frontal organisations of the party to make them work together,” Mamata told reporters at the makeshift Trinamul Bhavan off EM Bypass in Calcutta.

Trinamul sources said the change in leadership at block or district levels was important as the party won many panchayats uncontested in 2018 which angered rural voters, helping the BJP win 18 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

“The party also considers that violent and unchallenged victory in the 2018 panchayat polls led to the rise of the BJP in Bengal. This time she doesn’t want to make the same mistake. Rural people still hold grudges against many panchayats members and leaders. This revamp will address the anger of the rural people before 2023,” said a Trinamul leader in Calcutta.

Mamata said she would start her district visits from May 10 and West Midnapore would be her first stop. After the administrative meeting in West Midnapore, she would meet booth-level Trinamul leaders and panchayat members of the district on May 11. She also has plans of a similar engagement in Jhargram district during the trip.

“During my visit to West Midnapore and Jhargram, I will meet the booth presidents and panchayat members of my party. We conduct several meetings with senior leaders but our message often doesn’t reach the grassroots,” said Mamata.

Triamul insiders said this was for the first time since she came to power in 2011, Mamata would hold meetings with booth-level leaders. The move is to guide them politically before the panchayat polls.

The chief minister told her senior leaders that she would not entertain the divisions inside her party and fights on social media against each other. On Thursday, she refurbished the party's disciplinary committee bringing Subrata Bakshi as chairman instead of Partha Chatterjee.

“She has said the disciplinary committee will observe every activity of the party leaders and conduct meetings only after her permission,” said a senior Trinamul leader.

“Every human being can make a mistake. If we make any mistake during the execution of development work or we hurt anyone, I apologise and feel sorry for the mistakes. The same thing I told my leaders to follow in today’s meeting,” she said.

Those who took part in the meeting said Mamata directed her party leaders to be careful in protecting Trinamul’s as the BJP and the CPM were trying to tarnish it.

“She did not name Congress in the way she attacked the BJP and the CPM. She has made it clear that politically the Trinamul will target the BJP, the CPM and other Left parties,” said a Trinamul leader.

Mamata also directed her leaders to visit homes for a month from Thursday onwards to inform people about government schemes.