Bolstered by the TMC's clean sweep in the West Bengal assembly bypolls, senior party leader and MP Kalyan Banerjee asked the Congress to "set aside its ego" and recognise Mamata Banerjee as the leader of the INDIA bloc. He also criticised the Congress for its poll debacle in Maharashtra. Kalyan Banerjee emphasised the need for "unified and decisive" leadership to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, drawing confidence from the TMC's impressive performance in the recent by-elections, where the party retained five assembly seats in West Bengal and snatched Madarihat from the BJP. The TMC MP emphasised that Mamata Banerjee's "proven leadership and grassroots connect" made her the "most suitable" figurehead for the opposition alliance. "The Congress and other opposition parties should admit their failures in the recent elections and prioritise unity over individual ambition. They must set aside their ego and accept Mamata Banerjee as the leader of the INDIA bloc, he said