Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is grappling with growing signs of internal dissent following its loss of power in West Bengal, raising questions about the party’s unity and future political direction.
Political defections have long been a feature of West Bengal’s landscape. The Congress witnessed an exodus of workers during the rise of the Left Front, while many Left cadres later shifted allegiance to the TMC after Mamata Banerjee ended the Communist regime’s 34-year rule in 2011. Now, with the BJP occupying the state’s power centre, similar concerns have emerged within the TMC.
The first visible cracks appeared when four-time TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resigned from all party positions and later approached the Lok Sabha Speaker, alleging that fellow TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee had used derogatory language against her. The complaint has since been referred to the Ethics Committee.
Soon after, party spokesperson Santanu Sen stepped down from his role, while veteran TMC leader Sukhendu Shekhar Ray publicly voiced criticism of the party leadership.
The situation intensified on Monday after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari alleged that two TMC MLAs — Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha — claimed their signatures had been forged on a letter submitted to the Assembly Speaker supporting Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition.
According to reports, several signatures on the document were allegedly inconsistent with those of the legislators concerned. The letter had been submitted after a significant number of TMC MLAs reportedly skipped a meeting convened by Mamata Banerjee on May 19 to discuss the opposition leadership issue.
A CID investigation has been ordered into the alleged forgery claims. Meanwhile, the TMC leadership expelled both Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha amid allegations that they were attempting to rally other legislators against the party leadership.
While no formal split has occurred, political observers believe the developments have exposed growing unease within the party. Mamata Banerjee’s swift action against the rebel MLAs is being viewed as an attempt to prevent further instability.
TMC leaders have maintained that the majority of legislators remain loyal to the party. However, reports that a large section of MLAs did not attend the crucial meeting called by Banerjee have fueled speculation about possible unrest within the ranks.
Under anti-defection provisions, any breakaway group would require the support of at least two-thirds of the party’s 80 MLAs to claim recognition as a separate faction. Whether the current tensions develop into a larger political challenge remains to be seen.
