Bhubaneswar: The annals of Kolkata witnessed a meteoric fall for their daughter of the soil - Mamata Banerjee - the street-fighter who dismantled a 35-year Left citadel and scripted poriborton.

A decade later on May 2026, that moral high ground stands eroded—not through a single defeat, but through the slow bleed of credibility triggered by a string of high-voltage scams.

What was once a movement built on austerity and outrage against corruption now finds itself mired in the very allegations it revolted against.

The most damaging blow came from the West Bengal School Service Commission recruitment scam—a scandal that struck at the heart of Bengal’s aspirational class. The arrest of senior minister Partha Chatterjee and ruling party heavyweights exposed an alleged cash-for-jobs racket that shattered the regime’s clean-image plank. For thousands of job-seekers, it wasn’t just corruption—it was betrayal. Even, Supreme Court found murkier dealings in the recruitment scam.

Then came the ripple effects. The West Bengal Municipal recruitment scam and the West Bengal coal smuggling case deepened the perception that corruption wasn’t episodic—it was systemic. Each investigation, each arrest, reinforced a narrative the opposition was quick to weaponise: that the ruling establishment had institutionalised rent-seeking.

Crucially, these weren’t abstract financial irregularities. They had faces, victims, and viral visuals—cash piles recovered (Arpita Mukherjee linked to minister Partha), leaders in custody, protests on streets. Optics did what opposition rhetoric alone couldn’t.

For a leader like Banerjee, whose political capital was built on personal integrity and proximity to the masses, the damage has been disproportionately high. The scandals didn’t just target her government—they dented her brand.

Banerjee’s political instinct and welfare outreach still anchor her base. But the scams have clipped the aura of invincibility. She is no longer the unquestioned pole of Bengal politics; she is now a leader forced to explain, defend, and recalibrate.

In politics, perception often precedes reality. And in Bengal today, the perception battle has turned—transforming Banerjee from a symbol of disruption into a leader navigating the consequences of accumulated power.

The street-fighter still stands. But the halo has dimmed.

Here are the list of skeletons in Mamata’s cupboard that haunt her brand

1. West Bengal School Service Commission recruitment scam

Allegation: Cash-for-jobs in recruitment of teachers and staff in government schools

Impact: One of the biggest political flashpoints; arrests of ministers and officials

Why it hurt: Directly affected educated unemployed youth—high emotional and electoral impact

2. West Bengal Primary Teacher Recruitment scam

Allegation: Irregularities and bribery in hiring primary teachers

Linked to: Wider SSC recruitment controversy

Why it matters: Reinforced perception of systemic manipulation in education jobs

3. West Bengal Municipal recruitment scam

Allegation: Illegal appointments in municipal bodies in exchange for money

Status: Under central agency probe

Political impact: Expanded the corruption narrative beyond education

4. West Bengal coal smuggling case

Allegation: Illegal coal extraction and smuggling with alleged political protection

Agencies involved: CBI, ED

Why significant: Suggested nexus between administration and illegal economy

5. West Bengal cattle smuggling case

Allegation: Smuggling of cattle across India–Bangladesh border

Key angle: Involvement of border officials and alleged political links

Impact: National-level attention due to security dimension

6. Saradha chit fund scam

Allegation: Ponzi scheme duping lakhs of small investors

Timeline: Pre-TMC rule origins but fallout hit during Banerjee tenure

Why damaging: Linked political figures and devastated rural savings

7. Rose Valley chit fund scam

Allegation: Another large-scale deposit fraud scheme

Similar to: Saradha model

Impact: Reinforced trust deficit among lower-income investors

9. Cut money controversy West Bengal

Allegation: Local TMC leaders taking commissions from beneficiaries of government schemes

Unique aspect: Public admission by leadership asking cadres to return money

Impact: Grassroots-level anger in rural Bengal

Bottom Line

Individually, each case hit a sector—jobs, welfare, borders, finance. Collectively, they built a layered perception of entrenched corruption, which has been politically costlier than any single scandal. The EVM beeped the distress louder on May 4.