What is the story about?
A dissident faction of the Trinamool Congress led by Uluberia Purba MLA Ritabrata Banerjee is set to visit the Election Commission of India (ECI) in New
Delhi on Thursday (today) to formally stake claim to the party’s name, election symbol and assets, escalating the worst internal crisis in the TMC’s 28-year history of the party. Sources say that the Election Commission is preparing to call both warring factions to its New Delhi headquarters to adjudicate the dispute, a process that will determine who controls Mamata Banerjee’s three-decade-old political legacy and its iconic twin-flower symbol. The party’s assets stood at around Rs 876 crore as on March 31, 2025, according to its financial statement filed with the ECI.
58-60 MLAs Rebel Against Mamata-led TMC
TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, a former Rajya Sabha MP, has been recognised by West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose as Leader of the Opposition (LoP) after 58 of the TMC’s 80 MLAs broke away from the official legislature wing last week.
Mamata Facing Worst Political Crisis
The rebels claim support of up to 64 MLAs and say the number will rise to 67-68. The rebel camp has removed Mamata Banerjee as party chairperson and elected senior MLA Arup Roy in her place, formed a parallel 30-member National Working Committee, and suspended TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Ritabrata has been named LoP, Akhruzzaman as chief whip, and Javed Ahmed Khan, Sandipan Saha, Sabina Yasmin and Shiuli Saha as deputy leaders.
Not Against Mamata, But Can't Tolerate Abhishek Banerjee
The rebels say they are "not against Mamata Banerjee" but "can’t accept Abhishek’s leadership anymore." One MLA alleged a “grassroots-level party belonging to Mamata Banerjee has been conveniently hijacked by a corporate bureaucracy,” referring to political consultancy I-PAC brought in by Abhishek.
The crisis traces back to a May 6 proposal sent to the Speaker seeking recognition of senior TMC MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as LoP, which allegedly contained forged signatures of several legislators.
Rebel MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha filed a complaint, triggering an FIR and a CID probe. Three MLAs — Baharul Islam, Arup Roy, and Subhasis Das — disowned the signatures attributed to them. Matters escalated after Ritabrata visited Delhi on May 22 and met Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Banga Bhavan. “After Ritabrata returned from Delhi, the plan gathered pace,” a rebel MLA said.
The TMC has moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the Speaker’s recognition of Ritabrata as LoP, saying it violated parliamentary procedures. The party maintains that a June 5 meeting at Mamata’s Kalighat residence was a National Working Committee meeting, not a full MLA/MP meet, and turnout cannot be seen as a measure of support. Following the crisis, TMC appointed MPs Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen as National Joint Secretaries to “assist” Abhishek.
Ritabrata Banerjee said his group would function as the Opposition against the BJP in Bengal, but rebel MPs may align with the NDA in Lok Sabha. “It is a fight against dictatorship and a fight for democracy,” he said, while denying BJP backing.The ECI’s adjudication, similar to past cases involving Shiv Sena, NCP and AIADMK, will now decide the fate of the TMC’s name, symbol and assets.
