The Trinamool Congress has formally split after its crushing defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, with 58 rebel MLAs forming a new legislative block led by Ritabrata Banerjee. The faction has named Ritabrata as Leader of Opposition while retaining Mamata Banerjee as party supremo, triggering a major political crisis.
In a dramatic political development that could reshape West Bengal’s opposition landscape, the Trinamool Congress has officially split following its crushing defeat in the recently concluded Assembly elections. A group of 58 legislators from the party has formed a new legislative block under the leadership of expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, who has now been named the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly.
The move marks one of the biggest internal rebellions in the history of the Trinamool Congress and comes barely a month after the party suffered a landslide defeat in the state elections. Of the total 80 Trinamool Congress MLAs in the Assembly, 58 legislators have joined the rebel camp, signaling a major challenge to the existing party leadership.
On Wednesday, the rebel legislators submitted a formal resolution to the Assembly Speaker, claiming that they represent the true legislative wing of the Trinamool Congress. The resolution carried the signatures of all 58 MLAs and proposed a new leadership structure within the Assembly.
According to the resolution, Ritabrata Banerjee, the MLA from Uluberia (Purba) in Howrah district, has been appointed as the new Leader of Opposition. Sandipan Saha, MLA from Entally, along with Siuli Saha from Keshpur and Javed Ahmed Khan from Kasba, have been named deputy leaders of the opposition bloc.
Veteran legislator Akhruzzaman, representing Raghunathganj, has been appointed as the Chief Whip of the newly formed legislative group. Interestingly, despite the open rebellion against the existing leadership structure, the resolution continues to recognize former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the party supremo and president.
The developments unfolded throughout the day as rebel MLAs arrived at the Assembly premises and held an emergency meeting to finalize their strategy. During the meeting, the names for key opposition positions were unanimously endorsed before the delegation proceeded to the Speaker’s chamber to submit the resolution.
The Speaker reportedly accepted the resolution, giving formal recognition to the submission and adding a new dimension to the ongoing political crisis within the Trinamool Congress.
The split follows weeks of growing tensions within the party. Last month, Trinamool Congress General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee had written to the Speaker’s office proposing a separate set of names for key Assembly positions. His recommendations included Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition, Nayna Bandopadhyay and Asima Patra as deputy leaders, and Firhad Hakim as the Chief Whip of the party’s legislative unit.
However, the Speaker had reportedly insisted that the recommendations be accompanied by a resolution signed by party legislators. The controversy intensified after Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha raised concerns over alleged discrepancies in the signatures of certain legislators included in the submitted documents.
Their objections triggered a political storm within the party and eventually led to their expulsion earlier this week. What initially appeared to be an internal disagreement soon escalated into a full-scale rebellion, with a majority of Trinamool legislators rallying behind the dissident leaders.
The matter became even more serious when the Assembly Secretariat referred the signature-related controversy to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for investigation. As part of the probe, Abhishek Banerjee was summoned twice for questioning, further fueling political speculation and intensifying divisions within the party.
Wednesday’s formation of the new legislative block appears to be the culmination of weeks of internal unrest. The rebel faction now claims to be the legitimate representative of the Trinamool Congress within the Assembly and has effectively challenged the authority of the existing leadership structure.
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As political observers assess the implications of the split, attention is now focused on the response from the party’s top leadership. At the time of filing this report, neither Mamata Banerjee nor Abhishek Banerjee had issued any official statement regarding the rebellion or the formation of the new legislative bloc.
The unprecedented division within the Trinamool Congress is expected to have far-reaching consequences for West Bengal politics, potentially redefining opposition dynamics and creating a new power struggle within one of the state’s most influential political parties.
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