- Fifty-eight TMC MLAs revolted, claiming principal opposition bloc.
- Rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee recognized as Leader of Opposition.
- TMC challenges decision legally, citing Speaker’s move as illegal.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which governed West Bengal for the past 15 years, was reduced to 80 seats in the 294-member Assembly when the election results were declared on May 4. However, the party’s troubles appear to have deepened further after a major internal rebellion erupted within its ranks.
In a significant setback for the Mamata Banerjee-led party, 58 TMC MLAs have openly revolted and claimed they now represent the principal Opposition bloc in the Assembly, triggering a sharp split within the organisation.
Amid the growing crisis, Mamata Banerjee convened a meeting at her residence on Friday. However, only eight MLAs from the non-rebel camp attended the gathering. According to ANI, those present were Bina Mondal, Ashima Patra, Madan Mitra, Kunal Ghosh, Firhad Hakim, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Biman Banerjee and Ashok Kumar Deb.
Six MPs also attended the meeting, Dola Sen, Mala Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O’Brien and Sudip Bandyopadhyay. The TMC currently has 28 Lok Sabha MPs and 13 Rajya Sabha MPs.
Ritabrata Banerjee Emerges As Face Of Revolt
The rebellion is being spearheaded by expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, who on Wednesday announced after meeting the Speaker that he had been recognised as the Leader of the Opposition.
The crisis is being viewed as the biggest organisational split in the TMC since Mamata Banerjee formed the party three decades ago after leaving the Congress.
A substantial section of the party’s Muslim legislators has also backed Ritabrata Banerjee. Nearly half of TMC’s 34 Muslim MLAs are reportedly supporting him. Ritabrata, a former student leader, was expelled from the CPI(M) in 2017 and was later nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the TMC in 2024.
“The TMC legislative party is a team of 58 MLAs who won on the TMC symbol. We are the real TMC now in the assembly,” Ritabrata said.
“Our claim has been accepted by the speaker,” he added after meeting the Speaker.
The rebel faction has indicated that it wants Mamata Banerjee to remain their “principal adviser”, but said it does not wish to engage with Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s national general secretary and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, who rose to prominence within the party in 2016.
TMC Plans Legal Battle
The TMC has decided to challenge the Speaker’s decision in court after Ritabrata Banerjee was appointed Leader of the Opposition.
Senior party leader and MP Kalyan Banerjee described the move as “illegal”.
“We have decided that the LoP appointed by the Speaker is illegal. We are approaching the Court against this on Monday. We will file a petition before the High Court,” he said.
Kalyan Banerjee also alleged that BJP workers were targeting TMC members and filing false cases against them.
“We will fight on the streets, we will fight in Court,” he said after the meeting chaired by Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata.
