Infighting and the BJP's rising graph in West Bengal seem to be taking a toll on the ruling Trinamool Congress, with the party deciding to crack the whip against internal strife and revamp the organisation ahead of next year's Lok Sabha polls.


According to senior TMC leaders who do not wish to be named, the recent spate of reshuffle in the state cabinet and some local bodies is a hint that the party is planning to overhaul the organisation at various levels.


The BJP is trying to expand its footprint in West Bengal, which has 42 Lok Sabha seats. The party, at present, has just two seats in the state.


The recent bypolls and the panchayat election results have indicated a paradigm shift in the state politics with the saffron party emerging as the main opposition to the TMC, although it has a long way to go before it can put up a close fight to the ruling party.


Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, who has floated the idea of a federal front of regional parties, is also making her presence felt at the national level as a prominent challenger to the BJP. According to TMC insiders, the party has a two-pronged strategy, under which ministers who are "overburdened" with various portfolios will have to do away with some responsibilities. -- PTI