In West Bengal, there is a split in Mamata’s TMC. On Monday, expelled party MLA Ritabrata Banerjee claimed that he had the support of 60 MLAs from his ally party. On Wednesday, the entire group met Assembly Speaker Rathendra Bose and submitted a letter of support to him, formally requesting him to declare Ritabrata as the leader of the legislature party.
Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and Shiuli Saha have been appointed deputy leaders, while Akhruzzaman has been made Chief Whip. It is noteworthy that in the letter of the rebel group, Mamata Banerjee is still considered as the party president; However, he has refused to accept the leadership of Abhishek Banerjee or follow the decisions related to the legislature party.
On Monday, in a letter sent to the Speaker – bearing Abhishek Banerjee’s letterhead – a proposal was made to appoint Shobhandev as the leader of the opposition. Following this, MLAs Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee filed a complaint, alleging that their signatures on the resolution were forged. After this complaint, Mamata expelled both the MLAs from the party.
**Mamata dissolved the party committees**
Amid the ongoing rebellion within the party, Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced the dissolution of all state-level party committees and subsidiary organizations with immediate effect. Now the party is preparing to completely restructure its entire organizational structure.
**Two MLAs expelled for complaining about forged signatures**
Mamata Banerjee expelled two MLAs from TMC – Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee. Both the MLAs had complained to the Speaker that the party had forged the signatures of Shobhandev on the proposal to appoint him as the leader of the opposition. Saha and Banerjee allege that their expulsion from TMC is a direct result of filing this particular complaint.
**Rebel MLAs cannot completely control TMC right now**
Although rebel TMC MLAs may hold positions like leader of the opposition or chief whip, they cannot claim complete control over the party at this stage – as was seen in the cases of Shiv Sena or NCP. If any such dispute arises, the Election Commission will decide the matter based on the claims made by the larger group. This matter may also go to court. However, it would also require the support of two-thirds of the Lok Sabha MPs – specifically 19 out of 28 MPs. Additionally, the attitude of the organization’s officials is also important; To avoid this, Mamata has already dissolved all the committees of the party. This matter is mainly governed by the anti-defection law (which is contained in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution), the party organization itself and the rules laid down by the Election Commission. After the 91st Constitutional Amendment (2003), if at least two-thirds of the MLAs decide to break away from their parent party, they can be exempted from disqualification. After this the Election Commission investigates who has actual control over the party.
To whom is the party organization loyal?
To whom is the national/state executive loyal?
What does the party constitution decide?
Who has the support of the elected representatives?
**In the last 5 years, there has been a split between two big parties in Maharashtra**
In the last five years, there has been a split in Maharashtra into two major regional parties. In 2022, a large faction of Shiv Sena broke away under the leadership of Eknath Shinde; Similarly, in 2023, an important faction of NCP led by Ajit Pawar broke away from the parent party. In both cases, breakaway factions laid claim to both the party’s name and its election symbol – incidents that are now being held up as prime examples of a new wave of defection politics in Maharashtra.
**Important events of the last 12 days, which paved the way for division in TMC**
**31 May:** 60 out of 80 MLAs left Mamata’s meeting: Mamta had called a meeting of TMC MLAs; But, only 20 out of 80 MLAs attended the meeting. The meeting was later adjourned due to non-appearance of the remaining 60 MLAs. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said all the MLAs were busy preparing for the protest against the recent attack on Abhishek Banerjee.
**May 31:** Attack on MP Kalyan Banerjee: MP Kalyan Banerjee alleged that he was attacked by BJP supporters outside a police station in Hooghly, resulting in injuries. He claimed that a group of 10-15 BJP “goons” dressed in saffron clothes suddenly started raising slogans, abusing him and throwing stones at him. May 30 – Attack on MP Abhishek Banerjee: Abhishek Banerjee was attacked in South Sonarpur. Eggs and slippers were also thrown at them. Abhishek alleged that an attempt was made to carry out a fatal attack on him. Five accused have been arrested in this case.
May 27 – MP Kakoli resigns: TMC MP from Barasat, Bengal, Kakoli Ghosh resigned from all posts of his party.
Differences have emerged in Mamata’s TMC in West Bengal. On Monday, expelled party MLA Ritabrata Banerjee claimed that he has the support of 60 MLAs from his ally party. On Wednesday, the entire group met Assembly Speaker Rathendra Bose and submitted a letter of support, formally requesting that Ritabrata be declared the leader of the legislature party. Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and others were present. Resignation: TMC MP from Barasat, Bengal, Kakoli Ghosh resigned from all his party related posts.
