- This major rift challenges TMC’s internal party dynamics.
A major political rift has emerged within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), with the identities of 19 of the 20 Lok Sabha MPs belonging to a rebel faction now coming to light. The group reportedly submitted its list of members to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s office on May 18.
The breakaway bloc is being led by senior TMC leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. Among the prominent faces in the faction are actor-turned-politician Saayoni Ghosh and cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan.
The development marks a significant challenge for the Mamata Banerjee-led party, which currently has 28 members in the Lok Sabha and is the third-largest opposition party in the House after the Congress and the Samajwadi Party.
Rebel Group Claims Two-Thirds Strength
According to the details shared by the faction, the rebel camp comprises 19 TMC MPs, accounting for two-thirds of the party’s Lok Sabha strength.
The group argues that this numerical strength enables it to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law. Under the provisions governing defections, a split backed by at least two-thirds of a legislature party’s members can qualify for protection from disqualification.
Despite the rebellion, members of the faction have maintained that they do not intend to formally join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Instead, they have indicated that they would extend support to the ruling coalition while remaining outside its formal structure.
Full List of Rebel MPs Revealed
The faction is led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and includes several prominent TMC parliamentarians from West Bengal.
The 19 MPs named in the group are: Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Satabdi Doy, Bapi Haldar, Sharmila Sarkar, Sharmila Bandhyopadhyay, Jagdish Barma Basunia, Asit Kumar Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Rachna Banerjee, Saayoni Ghosh, Khalilur Rahman, Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Mitali Baig, Mala Roy, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari, June Malia and Partha Bhowmick.
The identity of the 20th member of the reported rebel group has not yet been disclosed.
Rebellion Follows Earlier Internal Turmoil
The latest development comes against the backdrop of earlier unrest within the party’s ranks.
TMC had previously faced a challenge from dissident legislators in West Bengal. Expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee had claimed that 58 out of 80 TMC MLAs were recognised in the state Assembly as part of an opposition grouping.
The emergence of a sizeable rebel bloc in the Lok Sabha is likely to intensify scrutiny of internal dynamics within the party and could have significant implications for the opposition landscape in Parliament.
