Rebel Rising in the TMC

For over a month now, an ‘apolitical’ forum called ‘Dadar Anugami (Followers of Dada)’ has created a bit of a stir in West Bengal amid all the other buzz in the run-up to the assembly election early next year. Their posters and banners swear unflinching loyalty to ‘Dada’ and gush about their ‘unstoppable mass leader’. There is no overt electoral messaging, but given the ‘leader’ in question, the political undertones are hard to miss.

‘Dada’ is none other than disgruntled Trinamool Congress (TMC) veteran Suvendu Adhikari, the once trusted Mamata Banerjee hand whose long-speculated defection from the party is now being seen as an imminent event. Over the past few days, TMC leaders have been