From Yusuf Pathan to Saayoni Ghosh: Inside the Rebel TMC Bloc Challenging Mamata’s Hold

A massive internal revolt has split the Trinamool Congress, with 19 Lok Sabha MPs aligning under the leadership of Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar to seek independent status.

The political ground in West Bengal is shifting rapidly. What began as whispers of internal dissent has crystallized into a formal challenge to Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, with 19 Lok Sabha MPs signing a letter to Speaker Om Birla on May 18. The faction, led by senior leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, effectively claims to command two-thirds of the party’s 28-member parliamentary strength. By reaching this numerical threshold, the group is banking on the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution to bypass the anti-defection law, aiming to function as a separate bloc rather than a formal merger into the BJP-led NDA.

The list of those involved reads like a roll call of the party's most recognizable faces. From the cricketing world, Yusuf Pathan has joined the ranks, while actor-turned-politicians like Saayoni Ghosh, June Malia, and Rachana Banerjee are also listed among the rebel TMC MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh. The inclusion of heavyweights like Shatrughan Sinha and long-time loyalists like Mala Roy underscores the depth of the crisis, suggesting that the rebellion has permeated both veteran party cadres and recent celebrity inductees.

The Strategy of 'Support Without Merger'

The rebels have been careful to define their position: they are not formally joining the BJP. Instead, they have signaled their intent to extend support to the ruling NDA coalition while maintaining a separate identity in the House. This "Maharashtra model" of political maneuvering allows them to pivot away from the TMC’s central command while avoiding the immediate legal consequences of defection. Despite this, the situation remains fluid. While the group claims 19 signatures, reports have emerged of some MPs expressing discomfort with the move or denying their involvement, indicating that the actual count may be subject to intense pressure from both sides of the aisle.

The fallout is not confined to the Lok Sabha. The TMC is facing a simultaneous hemorrhage in the Rajya Sabha, where the resignations of senior leaders Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Sushmita Dev have left the party’s upper house presence in tatters. Meanwhile, in the West Bengal Assembly, Opposition leader Ritabrata Banerjee claims the rebellion has spread to the state legislature, with as many as 64 MLAs allegedly aligning with the dissenters.

Why it matters: The Bigger Picture

This is more than a parliamentary headache; it is an existential threat to Mamata Banerjee’s dominance. For years, the TMC has operated as a tightly-knit, centralized machine. The sudden emergence of a rival power center—led by someone as deeply embedded as Kakoli Ghosh—suggests that the party’s internal grievance mechanisms have completely failed. If the Speaker recognizes this group as a separate entity, the TMC will lose its status as the third-largest opposition party, fundamentally altering the arithmetic of Parliament. For the BJP, this represents a major opportunity to weaken its primary challenger in Bengal without having to absorb the political baggage of a mass-scale merger. As the dust settles, the question remains whether Mamata can stem the tide or if this marks the beginning of a long-term fragmentation of the TMC.