Abhishek Banerjee’s Wikipedia Photo Replaced By An Animal As TMC Trails In Bengal After 15 Years

As the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 trends showed a major political shift, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leading strongly at around 188 seats and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) trailing near 101, an unusual online incident caught public attention.

The Wikipedia page of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee was reportedly vandalised, with his profile image temporarily replaced by a monkey.

What Happened on Wikipedia?

During the peak of election result discussions, users noticed that the Wikipedia page of Abhishek Banerjee displayed an incorrect and inappropriate image. Instead of his official photograph, a monkey's image appeared on the page. Later it was changed to his original image.

This kind of incident is commonly referred to as "vandalism" on open platforms like Wikipedia, where users can edit content. Such edits are usually not permanent and are corrected quickly by moderators or editors.

Who is Abhishek Banerjee?

Abhishek Banerjee is a key leader of the Trinamool Congress and a Member of Parliament from Diamond Harbour. He is also the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and plays an important role in the party's organisation and youth wing.

Because of his political position, he often remains in the spotlight, especially during elections.

Timing Linked to Political Tensions

The timing of the incident is significant. It happened when election trends were showing a tough situation for the TMC. With BJP taking a strong lead, political discussions were already intense both on the ground and online.

Such moments often see increased online activity, including misinformation, trolling, and sometimes vandalism of public profiles.

How Wikipedia Handles Such Edits

Wikipedia is an open platform, which means anyone can edit pages. However, it also has a system of moderators and volunteers who monitor changes. When vandalism is detected, it is usually corrected quickly, and pages may be temporarily protected to prevent further misuse.

In most cases, such edits do not last long and are removed once flagged.

A Reflection of Heated Political Climate

The vandalism incident reflects the charged political atmosphere during election results. As parties compete for power, emotions run high among supporters, both offline and online.

While political debate is a normal part of democracy, incidents like these raise questions about responsible behaviour in digital spaces.

As West Bengal awaits final election results, the focus remains on counting and political outcomes. However, the Wikipedia vandalism incident serves as a reminder of how quickly online platforms can become part of the political narrative.

It also underlines the need for maintaining respect and accuracy, even during intense political competition.