TMC split deepens as 58 rebel MLAs elect Ritabrata Banerjee as West Bengal Opposition leader

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) split for the first time in its 28-year history on Wednesday, with 58 rebel MLAs taking control of the party's legislature wing, electing expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition and securing recognition from the West Bengal Assembly Speaker.

Despite the dramatic takeover, Banerjee struck a conciliatory note, urging former chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to serve as chief adviser to the newly constituted legislature team. At the same time, the dissident camp asserted that it was now the "real" Trinamool Congress in the Assembly.

The development marked the culmination of a rebellion that began with allegations of forged signatures on a letter proposing a Leader of the Opposition and escalated into a full-fledged challenge to the party leadership after the TMC's defeat to the BJP in the Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference at the Assembly after meeting Speaker Rathindra Bose, Ritabrata Banerjee claimed that the rebel camp enjoyed the backing of a two-thirds majority of the TMC's 80 MLAs and had formally staked its claim to lead the legislature party. "Our claim has been accepted by the Speaker," Banerjee said.

Arguing that numerical strength determined legitimacy, he maintained that the dissident faction now represented the true opposition in the House. "The TMC legislative party consists of 58 MLAs who were elected on the party symbol," he said.

Banerjee added that two more legislators, currently outside the state, had conveyed their support and were expected to formally join the faction soon. According to him, the Speaker accepted the new composition of the legislature party and opened the office designated for the Leader of the Opposition for his use.

The rebel camp also announced a new leadership structure. Banerjee announced that Akhruzzaman had been appointed chief whip, while veteran legislators Javed Ahmed Khan, Sandipan Saha, Sabina Yasmin and Shiuli Saha would serve as deputy leaders of the legislature party.

He said the letters communicating the appointments had already been submitted to the Speaker.

Seeking to establish the rebellion's legitimacy, Banerjee repeatedly invoked parliamentary conventions and the numerical strength of his camp. "We are the majority in the legislature party. According to parliamentary norms, we are the real and main opposition in the West Bengal Assembly," he said.

In a significant political gesture, the expelled leader appealed to Mamata Banerjee to guide the legislative party despite the revolt against her organisational leadership. "We would request Mamata Banerjee to play the role of the chief adviser of the legislative party," he said.

At the same time, Banerjee drew a distinction between the dissident camp and the party's organisational command, indicating that the rebels did not recognise any role for TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, considered number 2 in the party hierarchy, in the functioning of the legislature party.

The comments underscored the widening divide between the party's elected legislators and a section of its organisational leadership, a fault line that has deepened since the election setback.

Banerjee said the dissident camp would function as a constructive opposition and not indulge in obstructionism. "We will oppose the government's policies that we don't think are right. But we will not oppose for the sake of opposition," he said.

The roots of the rebellion can be traced to the controversy surrounding a proposal sent to the Speaker seeking recognition of senior TMC MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition. The proposal triggered allegations that signatures of several MLAs had been forged, prompting the registration of an FIR and a CID probe.

It was Banerjee and fellow rebel MLA Sandipan Saha who first flagged the alleged irregularities before Assembly authorities, transforming what initially appeared to be an internal dispute into a battle for control of the legislature party.

(With PTI inputs)