Is Mamata losing her grip? Humayun Kabir’s Muslim outreach triggers political drama in Bengal ahead of 2026!

What followed was unprecedented: Kabir launched a blistering, personal and unrestrained attack on the TMC supremo, accusing her of “fooling Muslims” and behaving like an “RSS-minded Chief Minister.”

Kabir’s latest stint in the TMC was cut short allegedly due to his insistence on building a “Babri Masjid-modelled mosque” in Muslim-majority Beldanga. Within hours of his suspension, the Bharatpur MLA announced he would launch his own party on December 22 and contest in 135 of 294 assembly seats in the 2026 polls.

“I will give a befitting reply in the next assembly elections… It is not my responsibility to assess whether my decision will help TMC or BJP,” said Kabir, who has previously been with both the Congress and the BJP.

He dramatically added: “Mamata Banerjee can do nothing except arrest me or conspire to kill me.”

Can Kabir Dent TMC’s Minority Vote Base?

Murshidabad and Malda, long considered Congress strongholds, were among TMC’s biggest gains in the 2021 Assembly elections.
In 2024, Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s shock defeat to TMC’s Yusuf Pathan further cemented the ruling party’s expanding influence in the region.

Kabir, now on a full-blown offensive, warned that Mamata’s policies have alienated Muslim voters: “She is constructing temples, giving puja doles from government funds and disrespecting Muslims… I will see how long she continues doing this.”

If Kabir’s aggressive posture finds resonance on the ground, it could threaten TMC’s stronghold over 20 seats in Murshidabad.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, seizing the moment, echoed Kabir’s sentiment: “Muslims will give her (Mamata Banerjee) a befitting reply in the coming election.”

In this context, political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty told local Bongo TV, "After Mamata Banerjee's turnaround on multiple issues like CAA, Waqf Act, Muslims are feeling betrayed by her so the community seems to be rooting for their own leader much like AIUDF in Assam."

Is Mamata Consolidating Hindu Votes?

Political observers recall Mamata’s high-risk 2021 Nandigram move as a precedent for bold electoral gambits.

Some analysts now believe the sacking of Kabir—a prominent Muslim face—may be a calibrated attempt to reach out to Hindu voters, particularly in districts where Kabir’s harsh anti-Hindu remarks embarrassed TMC.

The Waqf Act U-Turn Clouds Mamata’s Outreach

Earlier this year, Mamata strongly opposed the newly amended Waqf Act, urging the Muslim community to maintain peace after violent protests rocked Malda and Murshidabad.

But the state’s recent acceptance of the law—and instructions to upload undisturbed Waqf property details online—marks a sharp reversal, triggering discontent among Muslim leaders like Kabir.

Kabir accused Mamata of acting like the RSS, while the TMC supremo countered at a recent Murshidabad rally that allegations of implementing the Waqf Act were “false propaganda.”

"There is an attempt to create a confusion among Muslims claiming our government is not acting against the Waqf Act. It's a complete lie. We passed a law in the assembly against the forceful acquisition of Waqf properties. Moreover, the details of 82,000 Waqf properties were already available in the Centre's portal, we had no role in it," Mamata clarifies.

"The claim that our government has registered the Waqf properties is an outright lie," she adds.

Does the Mosque Row Boost BJP’s Hindu Consolidation?

In Bengal’s unique political landscape where all major parties accuse each other of tacit deals, Mamata has hinted—without naming them—that Kabir may be acting in collusion with the BJP.

"Every community has traitors who spread false propaganda at the behest of the BJP," Mamata launched a veiled attack on Kabir from the Baharampur rally on December 4.

The foundation ceremony of the Babri Masjid-inspired mosque, where hundreds of Muslims marched with bricks on their shoulders, has sparked sharp reactions.

The BJP alleged the spectacle was designed to polarise the region.

BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya posted on X, "West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is playing with fire. Reports emerging from Beldanga in Murshidabad have triggered serious concern, with Mamata Banerjee using ‘suspended’ TMC MLA Humayun Kabir to polarise Muslim sentiment for political gain..."

"...  This so-called mosque project is not a religious effort but a political one, designed to inflame emotions and consolidate vote banks. Far from serving the community, they warn it poses a serious threat to Bengal’s stability, risking heightened tensions and even the fragmentation of the state’s social fabric. But Mamata Banerjee will not stop at anything, even if it means pushing West Bengal towards turmoil."

Reports of ₹500 crore allegedly flowing into Kabir’s accounts for mosque construction, possible Saudi involvement, and Quran recitation countering Gita recitations have added to the narrative of rising communal mobilisation ahead of the polls.

"We will have to track whether the visible emotions in the Muslim community on the Babri mosque foundation day are reflected on the day Humayun Kabir launches his party. Mamata Banerjee should be worried if we notice a similar picture on December 22 when Kabir floats his camp," says Biswanath Chakraborty speaking to a local channel.

A New Phase in Bengal Politics?

Kabir’s exit and the subsequent developments signal a shift in Bengal’s political culture, long insulated from direct Hindu-Muslim polarisation in electoral campaigns.

As the state moves into election mode, the Kabir episode has the potential to redraw equations across minority belts, disrupt TMC’s arithmetic, and energise BJP’s polarisation narrative.

The coming weeks may determine whether Kabir turns into a spoiler, a catalyst, or a footnote in Bengal’s 2026 political battle.