Last-ditch effort to avert split? TMC dissolves all key frontal wings amid internal revolt

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday dissolved all its committees, frontal organisations in West Bengal, after rebel Ritabrata Banerjee, with a support letter from nearly 60 MLAs, met Speaker Rathindra Bose in what is being seen as a major crisis unfolding in the Mamata Banerjee-founded party.

The party said it will undertake "comprehensive introspection, performance review, organisational assessment at every level. Organisational structure of parent body, all frontal wings to be reconstituted and announced in due course".




The move is seen as a last-ditch effort to avert what seems like a vertical split in the party, which was decimated by the rival BJP in the recently held West Bengal assembly polls after 15 years of rule.

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The turmoil intensified on Wednesday as nearly 60 of TMC's 80 MLAs turned up at the assembly for a meeting. The number is significant because it crosses the two-thirds threshold required to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law, raising parallels with the 2022 split in Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde against Uddhav Thackeray.

Earlier in the day, regarding the nomination of the West Bengal assembly LoP, TMC MLA Mustafizur Rahman told news agency ANI: "We don't know the exact figure... I am hearing from outside that 59 signatures have been received. I am hearing this. I have also signed".

In a significant political message, the letter submitted to the assembly speaker referred to Mamata Banerjee as the party's chairperson, suggesting that the rebel camp is positioning its challenge against the current leadership of the legislature party rather than against the TMC chief herself.

Sources aligned with the dissident group told news agency PTI that the legislators have also rejected any role for Abhishek Banerjee in determining the affairs of the legislature party.

The TMC leadership, however, described the move as an act of disloyalty. Senior party leader and MLA Kunal Ghosh argued that any grievances could have been addressed within the organisation.

"If they had any issues, they could have discussed them within the party. Instead, they chose to backstab the party," he told reporters.

Labelling the rebels and their supporters as "traitors", Ghosh maintained that the party would weather the crisis and stay united under Mamata Banerjee's leadership.

The origins of Wednesday's showdown can be traced back to a meeting of newly elected MLAs at Mamata Banerjee's residence on May 6. During the meeting, legislators are understood to have authorised the party leadership to decide the appointments of the leader of the opposition, deputy leaders and chief whip.

Subsequently, the TMC informed the assembly that Sovandeb Chattopadhyay would serve as leader of the opposition, while Nayana Bandyopadhyay and Ashima Patra would be deputy leaders and Firhad Hakim would take over as chief whip.

The assembly secretariat, however, did not process the communication, pointing to procedural rules requiring such office-bearers to be elected at a formal meeting of the legislature party.

Tensions rose further after dissident MLAs alleged that their signatures were misused in the communication sent to the assembly secretariat. The party leadership denied the accusation and countered that the rebels were attempting to undermine the organisation following its electoral setback.

The standoff intensified earlier this week with the expulsion of Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha from the party.

In a twist of events, Ritabrata Banerjee, who was expelled by the party leadership, has emerged as the most prominent face of the rebellion. The presence of veteran leader Javed Khan, regarded as a close Mamata Banerjee loyalist since the party's early days, has further strengthened the dissident camp's political standing.

The developments have also sparked a wider debate over control of the opposition space in the Assembly. While securing the post of leader of the opposition requires the support of only 30 MLAs, the larger battle now appears to centre on the legitimacy and control of the legislature party itself.