In a high-decibel political intervention ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee today alleged a massive conspiracy by the BJP to bifurcate the state. Addressing the media, Banerjee claimed that a “sinister design” is being orchestrated to carve out a new state or Union Territory by merging parts of North Bengal with certain districts of neighboring Bihar. This explosive claim has added a fresh layer of intensity to an already polarized electoral battle.

The Chief Minister didn’t hold back in her criticism of the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of acting as a puppet for the BJP. Referring to the recent spate of high-level administrative transfers, she labeled the current situation as an “unpromulgated form of President’s Rule.” “Having failed to win the trust of Bengal’s people, the BJP is now attempting to capture the state through institutional manipulation and by threatening its geographical integrity,” she stated.

Speculation regarding a “Greater North Bengal” or a specialized administrative zone near the Siliguri corridor has been circulating in political circles, but Mamata’s direct mention of merging parts of Bihar has elevated the narrative. She vowed that the Trinamool Congress would resist any such move with all its might, asserting that “not an inch of Bengal’s land will be surrendered.” As the state heads towards a multi-phase election, the rhetoric of ‘Banga-Bhanga’ (Partition of Bengal) is likely to become a central theme, with the TMC positioning itself as the sole protector of the state’s unity against the BJP’s alleged “separatist agenda.”