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KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress lurched towards its biggest rupture in 28 years Monday after rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claimed support of 20 MPs and wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking recognition as a separate parliamentary bloc that would back BJP-led NDA.If the numbers hold, rebels would clear the two-thirds threshold needed to shield themselves from anti-defection, handing Mamata Banerjee’s party its gravest challenge since its formation in 1998 and potentially opening a battle over TMC’s name and symbol. “We will not join BJP. We will support NDA,” said Ghosh Dastidar, a four-time MP.The letter “with 19 other MPs’ signatures” was submitted shortly before 1pm, marking a dramatic escalation in a rebellion that has simmered over days of phone calls, back-channel outreach and closed-door meetings. The Speaker’s office has not officially acknowledged receiving the letter.Fourteen rebel MPs later gathered at Union minister Bhupendra Yadav’s Delhi residence for lunch, where Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari also met them. Adhikari again met rebel MPs in the evening at MP Satabdi Roy’s residence.TMC has 28 Lok Sabha MPs. A breakaway faction needs at least 19 MPs to cross the two-thirds mark. The party has witnessed defections before — from Ajit Panja’s exit in 2001 to Adhikari’s in 2021 — but never a revolt of this scale. Rebels chose to unfurl their banner on the same day Banerjee pressed opposition parties to unite against BJP at an INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi. Sources said she accused BJP of attempts to split her party.Kakoli signs letter as TMC ‘chief whip’ although she was replaced 2 weeks agoThe TMC rebellion could reshape parliamentary arithmetic. NDA currently holds 292 Lok Sabha seats, comfortably above the majority mark of 272 but short of a two-thirds majority. Support from a large TMC breakaway group would push the alliance beyond the 300-seat mark and strengthen its hands on contentious legislation.The timing sharpened the drama. Rebels moved while party chief Mamata Banerjee and nephew Abhishek Banerjee — who’s an MP and TMC national general secretary — were in New Delhi for an INDIA bloc meeting. Their effort to prevent a two-to-one split appeared to be faltering. By Monday evening, only eight MPs — Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Saugata Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Mala Roy, Mahua Moitra, Kirti Azad, Saayoni Ghosh and Abhishek — were firmly seen in Mamata’s camp, though insiders described at least two as “fence-sitters”.A legal fight is already brewing. Ghosh Dastidar signed the letter as TMC’s “chief whip”, though she was removed and replaced by Kalyan Banerjee more than two weeks ago. The MP said she’s still chief whip because the party removed her while Parliament was not in session.The Mamata-Abhishek camp rejected that claim. Azad pointed to her May 27 letter resigning from all party posts and challenged the rebel numbers.“Only 13 Lok Sabha MPs attended the meeting with BJP seniors. Where are the 20 MPs? Where is the letter they signed,” Azad asked. Ghosh Dastidar shot back: “Eighteen MPs signed the letter physically. Two signed it online.” Rebel MP Sharmila Sarkar also insisted the count stood at 20.Whether TMC’s rebels have crossed the two-thirds rubicon remains disputed. Jaynagar MP Pratima Mandal, believed to be among two online signatories along with actor-MP Rachana Banerjee, stopped short of openly backing the rebellion. “I stand with the people of my constituency who elected me for five years. We were one TMC family, but none of the MPs discussed this with us or informed us of the reason for splitting,” she said.Several MPs linked to the revolt remained guarded, while others avoided public comment altogether.Sources said many rebel MPs, particularly Muslim MPs, remain reluctant to formally join BJP. Most are believed to be seeking assurances on future electoral tickets and enhanced security before taking their next step.Ghosh Dastidar framed the move as governance, not defection. “We are accountable to the people. We need to complete the pending work. We want to be a part of NDA also for the sake of national security and the country’s progress,” she said. “We have only informed the speaker. Let him decide. We will then decide.”The speaker’s office had not publicly confirmed receipt of the letter by evening. Sources said Birla was away on an official tour.TMC loyalists responded with fury. Mahua Moitra branded the rebels “traitors” and demanded that they resign and seek a fresh mandate. “They won in 2024 on TMC ticket. The mandate was not for NDA. All the greedy, self-serving traitors with yellow-stained pants can please join BJP now: resign and contest on a BJP ticket. Let us see what big heroes you are,” she posted on X.(With inputs from Kumar Rakesh and Ambika Pandit in New Delhi)
