In a dramatic upheaval that threatens to split West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), expelled party leader Ritabrata Banerjee has been officially recognised as the new Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly. The appointment follows a significant revolt within the TMC’s legislative ranks, with 58 out of 80 elected MLAs submitting a formal letter of support for Banerjee to Assembly Speaker Rathindranath Bose. The development marks a severe blow to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, signalling a potential “Maharashtra-style” political realignment within the state.
The crisis, which has been simmering for weeks, reached a boiling point after the TMC leadership attempted to appoint veteran legislator Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the LoP. Rebel MLAs, spearheaded by Banerjee and fellow expelled leader Sandipan Saha, alleged that the signatures backing Chattopadhyay were forged.
Following these complaints, the state’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) launched an inquiry into the matter, and the party subsequently expelled both Banerjee and Saha for “anti-party activities.” Despite their expulsion, the dissidents successfully mobilised a clear majority of the legislative party, effectively seizing control of the TMC’s legislative wing.
A Controversial Rise to Power
Ritabrata Banerjee’s political trajectory remains one of the most unconventional in modern Indian politics. Once a prominent student activist and “blue-eyed boy” of the CPI(M), he served as a Rajya Sabha MP before his acrimonious exit from the Left in 2017. Joining the Trinamool Congress in 2020, he rapidly ascended the ranks within the party’s trade union wing.
Now, having successfully navigated the recent Assembly elections in the Uluberia Purba constituency, Banerjee appears to be orchestrating a challenge to Mamata Banerjee’s hegemony, though the rebel faction has notably stopped short of forming a new party, officially continuing to acknowledge the Chief Minister as their supreme leader.
“The TMC legislative party is a team of 58 MLAs who won on the TMC symbol. Once other supporting members join us, our strength will rise further,” Banerjee stated during a press conference on Wednesday.
The rebel group has already moved to restructure the legislative team, naming Akhruzzaman as the new Chief Whip, while senior legislators Javed Ahmed Khan, Sandeepan Saha, Sabina Yasmin, and Shiuli Saha have been appointed as deputy leaders. Speaker Rathindranath Bose has reportedly accepted the submission, granting the rebel faction access to the official LoP office.
TMC’s Organisational Turmoil
The TMC leadership has reacted sharply to the turn of events. Senior party officials have dismissed the move as “legally untenable,” arguing that expelled members have no authority to mobilise legislators or submit letters on behalf of the All India Trinamool Congress. In an attempt to stem the tide of internal rebellion, the TMC announced the immediate dissolution of all its party committees and frontal organisations across West Bengal. The party leadership has stated that it will now undertake a “comprehensive exercise of introspection and performance review” before announcing a reconstituted organisational structure.
Critics are drawing comparisons to the 2022 Shiv Sena split in Maharashtra, where a faction led by Eknath Shinde successfully broke away from the parent organisation. With 58 signatories, crossing the two-thirds threshold required to bypass anti-defection laws, the rebel bloc’s move has created a volatile power struggle.
