Defectors free to leave, Mamata vows to rebuild TMC after poll rout

After the TMC faced an electoral setback, party supremo Mamata Banerjee has warned that we  will never bow before those who loot the people’s mandate. She urged its candidates who contested the recent assembly polls to rebuild the organisation, asserting that those wishing to quit the party were free to do so. At a meeting with the Trinamool Congress' contesting candidates at her Kalighat residence on Friday in Kolkata, attended by its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, she said the organisation would rise again despite suffering a crushing defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections. 
It is said that Ms Banerjee used the meeting to boost the morale of candidates who had contested the polls and send a message of unity amid a difficult phase for the organisation. The meeting was held for candidates who were fielded on party's ticket amid reports of internal discontent and speculation over possible defections after the election outcome.
The TMC had fielded candidates in 291 seats, leaving three seats in the Darjeeling hills to its ally Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) led by Anit Thapa. Of these, only 80 candidates emerged victorious, while 211 lost, including several heavyweight leaders and ministers.