Editing Trinamool Congress (section)

== History ==
=== Founding ===
After being a member of the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) for over 26 years, [[Mamata Banerjee]] quit the INC and established the TMC in 1998. The official election symbol of the TMC is ''Jora Ghas Phul'' (two flowers with grass). In the 1998 Lok Sabha polls, TMC won seven seats. In the next Lok Sabha election that was held in 1999, Trinamool Congress won eight seats with BJP, thus increasing its tally by one.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/SR_KeyHighLights/LS_1999/Vol_I_LS_99.pdf|title=Statistical Report on General Elections, 1999 to the 13th Lok Sabha|publisher=Election Commission of India}}</ref> In 2000, TMC won the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Elections.<ref>{{cite news|date=13 May 2011|title=The fall and rise of Trinamool Congress|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/latest-news/the-fall-and-rise-of-trinamool-congress/|access-date=11 December 2021|work=The Indian Express}}</ref>

The party initially joined the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA), as part of the [[Vajpayee government]], and was initially quite successful, winning seven seats in its [[1998 Indian general election|first election in 1998]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/SR_KeyHighLights/LS_1998/Vol_I_LS_98.pdf |title=Statistical Report on General Elections, 1998 to the 12th Lok Sabha |publisher=Election Commission of India}}</ref><ref name="IndiaToday">{{cite news |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/trinamool-congress-chief-mamata-banerjee-a-profile/1/138015.html |title=Mamata, the street-fighting politician and Left nemesis |work=[[India Today]] |date=13 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518043559/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/trinamool-congress-chief-mamata-banerjee-a-profile/1/138015.html |archive-date=18 May 2011 }}</ref> In the 2001 Vidhan Sabha elections, the TMC won 60 seats in alliance with the INC, becoming the principal opposition party.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/SR_KeyHighLights/SE_2001/StatRept_WB_2001.pdf|title=Key Highlights of General Election, 2001 to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal |publisher=Election Commission of India}}</ref> They suffered big losses in the [[2004 Indian general election|2004 Lok Sabha elections]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/SR_KeyHighLights/LS_2004/Vol_I_LS_2004.pdf |title=Statistical Report on General Elections, 2004 to the 14th Lok Sabha|publisher=Election Commission of India}}</ref> and the [[2006 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election]],<ref name="IndiaToday" /><ref>{{cite news |date=14 May 2004 |title=Why did the NDA lose West Bengal? |website=Rediff |agency=PTI |url=https://www.rediff.com/election/2004/may/14mamata.htm|access-date=28 December 2020}}</ref> and subsequently left the NDA.

=== Nandigram movement ===
{{Main|Nandigram violence}}
In December 2006, the people of [[Nandigram]] were given notice by Haldia Development Authority that a major portion of Nandigram would be seized and 70,000 people be evicted from their homes to make way for a chemical plant.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iacboston.org/india/1207-nandigram-says-no.html|work=International Action Center – Boston|title=Nandigram says 'No!' to Dow's chemical hub|date=December 2007|access-date=27 December 2009|archive-date=6 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090706032521/http://www.iacboston.org/india/1207-nandigram-says-no.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> People started movement against this land acquisition and the TMC helped lead the movement. The [[Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee|Bhumi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee]] ('Committee against Land Evictions'; BUPC) was formed to protest against the eviction. On 14 March 2007, the police opened fire and killed 14 villagers and many more went missing. Many sources claimed (and which was supported by the [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] in its report) that armed [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] cadres, along with police, fired on protesters in Nandigram<ref>{{cite web|last=Sarin|first=Ritu|date=19 December 2007|title=CPM cadres joined cops to fire, now beating up witnesses: CBI|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/cpm-cadres-joined-cops-to-fire-now-beating-up-witnesses-cbi/251917/0 |access-date=4 December 2021|newspaper=Indian Express}}</ref> Many intellectuals protested in the streets and this incident gave birth to a new movement. [[Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist)]] leader Nanda Patra led the movement. The events led to a significant backlash against the CPI(M) government, and were a major factor in the TMC's success in the elections that followed.<ref name="aljaz">{{Cite news |last=Bhaumik |first=Subir |date=13 May 2011 |title=Defeat rocks India's elected communists – Features |work=[[Al Jazeera English]] |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/05/2011513143311330487.html |url-status=dead |access-date=16 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005063541/http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/05/2011513143311330487.html |archive-date=5 October 2011}}</ref>

=== Post-Nandigram/Singur elections ===
{{Main|Singur Tata Nano controversy}}
In the [[2009 Indian general election|2009 Lok Sabha election]], TMC won 19 seats in [[West Bengal]], in alliance with the [[Indian National Congress|Congress]]. They subsequently became a part of [[Manmohan Singh]]'s [[Second Manmohan Singh ministry|government]], with Banerjee serving as [[Minister of Railways (India)|Minister of Railways]].

In the 2010 Kolkata municipal election, the party won 97 out of 141 seats. It also won a majority of other municipalities.<ref name=civicpolls2010>{{cite news|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mamata-wins-bengal-civic-polls-demands-early-elections-419690|title=Mamata wins Bengal civic polls, demands early elections|work=NDTV|date=2 June 2010}}</ref>

=== In government ===
[[File:Mamata Banerjee - Kolkata 2011-12-08 7542 Cropped.JPG|alt=|thumb|[[Mamata Banerjee]], [[Chief Minister of West Bengal]] and chairperson of All India Trinamool Congress]]
In the [[2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election]], the TMC-led alliance that included the [[Indian National Congress|INC]] and [[Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist)|SUCI(C)]] won 227 seats in the 294-seat legislature, defeating the incumbent [[Left Front (West Bengal)|Left Front]] government which had been in power for 34 years.<ref name="forbes">{{cite web|work=[[Forbes]]|title=The Anti-Communist of West Bengal|url=https://www.forbes.com/2011/04/14/forbes-india-trinamool-congress-didi-banerjee-at-gates.html#4b8299546c90|access-date=18 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bardhan|first=Pranab|date=11 February 2012|title=Why the Left Front Lost West Bengal: Poor Governance or Enhanced Accountability Standards?|url=https://www.theigc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Bardhan-Et-Al-2012-Working-Paper.pdf|journal=International Growth Centre|volume=1|pages=41}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=13 May 2011|title=Mamata ends 34-year-old Left Front rule in Bengal|work=The Hindu Business Line|agency=PTI|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/policy/mamata-ends-34-year-old-left-front-rule-in-bengal/article23047550.ece|access-date=13 May 2011}}</ref> TMC alone won 184 seats, enabling it to govern without an alliance. Subsequently, it won a by-election in [[Basirhat]] and two Congress MLAs switched to the TMC, giving it a total of 187 seats. Banerjee, an [[Member of the Lok Sabha|MP]] at the time, had not contested the election and had to transfer to the safe seat of [[Bhabanipur, West Bengal Assembly constituency|Bhabanipur]].<ref name="vidhansabha2011by">{{cite web|date=28 September 2011|title=Mamata Banerjee wins assembly bypoll|url=http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/current-affairs/mamata-banerjee-wins-assembly-bypoll_591641.html |access-date=28 September 2011|website=Moneycontrol}}</ref>

On 18 September 2012, Banerjee announced her decision to withdraw support to the [[United Progressive Alliance|UPA]] after the TMC's demands to undo government-instituted changes including [[Foreign direct investment|FDI]] in retail, increase in the price of diesel and limiting the number of subsidised cooking gas cylinders for households, were not met.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rupee falls after TMC pulls out from government|url=http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/markets-business/-1978325.html|publisher=[[Moneycontrol.com]]|date=20 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mamata Banerjee's party ready to meet President tomorrow to officially quit UPA|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mamata-banerjees-party-ready-to-meet-president-tomorrow-to-officially-quit-upa-499796|work=NDTV|date=20 September 2012}}</ref>

The [[2014 Indian general election|2014 Lok Sabha elections]] saw the TMC dominate the state, winning 34 out of the 42 seats. It also qualified for national party status, as the TMC had received 6% of the vote from five different states ([[West Bengal]], [[Manipur]], [[Tripura]], [[Jharkhand]] and [[Assam]]).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main1/statistical_reportge2014.aspx/ | website=Election Commission of India | title=Archive of General Election 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318025154/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main1/statistical_reportge2014.aspx/ | archive-date=18 March 2015}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|date=2 September 2016|title=Trinamool Congress recognised as national party|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|agency=PTI|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Trinamool-Congress-recognised-as-national-party/article14620149.ece|url-access=subscription|access-date=6 December 2021|issn=0971-751X|quote=It is a recognised State party in West Bengal, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, satisfying one of the conditions of the Election Commission.}}</ref> On 2 September 2016, the [[Election Commission of India|Election Commission]] recognised TMC as a national political party.<ref name=":3">{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/trinamool-congress-tmc-national-party-status-election-commission-3010274/|title=Trinamool Congress gets national party status|newspaper=Indian Express|date=2 September 2016}}</ref>

The party was reelected in the [[2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|2016 election]] to a supermajority government, and Banerjee continued as chief minister.<ref>{{cite news|date=20 May 2016|title=West Bengal Election Results 2016: TMC storms back to power in Bengal, Cong-Left alliance loses|newspaper=[[The Financial Express (India)|The Financial Express]]|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/west-bengal-election-results-2016-counting-begins-for-294-assembly-seats/259295/}}</ref>

The party won the most seats in West Bengal in the [[2019 Indian general election]], but suffered significant losses to the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]], which for the first time established itself as a major force in the state.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bose|first=Pratim Ranjan|date=23 May 2019|title=Election results 2019: Bengal votes for the BJP, breaks many stereotypes|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/elections/election-results-2019-bengal-votes-for-the-bjpbreaks-many-stereotypes/article27216896.ece |access-date=6 December 2021|website=The Hindu BusinessLine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Chatterjee|first=Ahana|date=23 May 2019|title=WB Election Result Highlights: BJP creates history in Bengal|url=https://www.livemint.com/elections/lok-sabha-elections/west-bengal-results-2019-live-updates-mamata-banerjee-tmc-narendra-modi-bjp-1558573084174.html |access-date=6 December 2021|website=Livemint}}</ref> After the election, the party's status came under revision by the [[Election Commission of India]], due to a loss in presence in most states outside West Bengal.<ref>{{cite news |url =https://www.news18.com/news/politics/how-have-trinamool-cpi-ncp-failed-to-meet-national-party-status-while-npp-makes-it-an-explainer-2239173.html|title =Why Did TMC, CPI, NCP Fail to Meet National Party Status When NPP Made It? An Explainer|publisher =[[Network 18]]|quote =Due to several political developments over the past few years, the EC wants the three political parties to respond on why their 'national party' status should not be taken away.|location =Kolkata|date =20 July 2019|website =News18.com|author =Sujit Nath|access-date =11 May 2020}}</ref>

Banerjee's government was reelected again in the [[2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|2021 state election]] by an unexpectedly large margin over the BJP. Prior to the election, several high-profile TMC members such as [[Mukul Roy]] and [[Suvendu Adhikari]] had defected to the BJP. Despite the large winning margin, Banerjee was defeated by Adhikari in the [[Nandigram (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Nandigram seat]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Election Commission of India|url=https://results.eci.gov.in/Result2021/ConstituencywiseS25210.htm?ac=210|access-date=2 May 2021|website=results.eci.gov.in|archive-date=3 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503202328/https://results.eci.gov.in/Result2021/ConstituencywiseS25210.htm?ac=210|url-status=dead}}</ref> where she had transferred to fight Adhikari head-on.<ref name="theguardian">{{cite news|last1=Ellis-Petersen|first1=Hannah|last2=Rahman|first2=Shaikh Azizur|date=26 March 2021|title='India's soul at stake': Bengalis vote in divisive election|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/26/india-soul-at-stake-west-bengalis-vote-in-divisive-election-modi-bjp}}</ref>