Bengal TMC Political Crisis Live Updates: Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress appears to be on the verge of its biggest internal crisis since its formation, with dissent mounting and resignations continuing
to pile up.
The deepening turmoil escalated over the last 24 hours, with 20 TMC MPs deciding to write to the Speaker expressing their desire to join the BJP-led NDA in Parliament, amid the resignation of former Rajya Sabha chief whip Sukhendu Sekhar Ray.
As the crisis threatens to spill over into Parliament, the party faces the prospect of a major implosion, leaving questions over how much of the organisation will remain intact after its electoral debacle.
Mamata Faces Lok Sabha Rebel Camp
TMC appears headed for a fresh crisis in Parliament, with a group of MPs claiming majority support deciding to back the BJP-led NDA.
The development came on a day when TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and the party’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, attended the INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi. Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who is leading the rebel faction, said the group had decided to write to Speaker Om Birla declaring its support for the NDA.
Ghosh Dastidar claimed that 20 TMC MPs have taken the decision.
“Nearly twenty TMC MPs, including me, have decided to write to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and formally support the NDA,” she told PTI.
“We have accepted the people’s verdict and believe that our future political course should be aligned with the NDA,” Ghosh Dastidar said.
PTI Sources said the dissident MPs plan to argue before the Speaker that Ghosh Dastidar continues to be the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha.
Mamata Appoints Kalyan Banerjee As Lok Sabha Chief Whip
A TMC leader, however, said the party had communicated its decision to remove her as chief whip and appoint Kalyan Banerjee to the Lok Sabha Secretariat through an official letter dated May 20, signed by TMC Parliamentary Party Chairperson Mamata Banerjee.
A copy of the letter shared by party sources showed a stamp of receipt from the speaker’s office dated May 29.
According to sources, the rebel MPs have chosen not to immediately resign from the TMC or join the BJP, but to function as a separate bloc supporting the NDA – a strategy designed as a shield against the anti-defection law.
The TMC currently has 28 Lok Sabha MPs, with one vacancy following the death of Basirhat MP Haji Nurul Islam.
Rebel MPs Hold Meeting With BJP Leader
Amid the widening rift within the TMC, a group of dissident MPs is learnt to have met at the Delhi residence of BJP leader Bhupender Yadav, according to PTI sources.
A photograph purportedly from the meeting, which has been circulating on social media, appeared to show Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Shekhar Ray alongside Lok Sabha MPs Abu Taher, Asit Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Kalipada Soren, Jagadish Basunia, Prasun Banerjee, Sharmila Sarkar and Satabdi Roy.
Sources further claimed that nearly 20 MPs had gathered at an undisclosed location in the national capital late on Sunday, where they deliberated on their next political steps.
The discussions reportedly reflected growing dissatisfaction with the party’s existing parliamentary leadership and explored possible options going forward.
Sukhendu Sekhar Ray Resigns As Rajya Sabha’s Chief Whip
Meanwhile, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned from both the Rajya Sabha and the primary membership of the Trinamool Congress, accusing the party of ushering in “15-year anarchical rule” before the BJP came to power in the state.
His resignation from the Upper House has since been accepted by Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan.
“I have met the Rajya Sabha chairman and submitted my resignation. I have conveyed my decision to resign from the party through WhatsApp and email to Mamata Banerjee,” Ray told reporters.
“I had my tenure till 2029 in the Rajya Sabha, but I have resigned in principle from the party as it would be difficult for me to continue,” he
TMC Rebel Camp Takes Over Assembly
The latest turmoil comes just days after the TMC leadership faced a major setback in the West Bengal Assembly, where 58 of the party’s 80 MLAs defied the high command by rejecting its choice of veteran leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition and instead elected expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee to the post.
The turmoil that hit the TMC following its electoral setback appears to have prompted a more conciliatory approach from party supremo Mamata Banerjee, who attended the INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi seeking to help formulate a broader pan-India strategy against the BJP.
