Rebellion in the Ranks: Mamata Banerjee Ousted as TMC Chief by 'Real' Faction

In a stunning political upheaval in West Bengal, a breakaway faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee has declared itself the 'original' Trinamool Congress, stripping Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee of their leadership positions.

The political landscape in West Bengal is facing a tectonic shift following a high-stakes emergency meeting at a New Town hotel. Led by Uluberia East MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, a dissident group comprising roughly 60 MLAs and 70 Kolkata Municipal Corporation councilors has formally declared a new organizational structure. In a move that challenges the very foundation of the party, they have removed Mamata Banerjee as the party president and expelled her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee.

This development follows a cycle of intense infighting, with both sides now trading accusations of illegality. The rebel group, claiming the mantle of the "original" Trinamool, has appointed Arup Roy as the new president. The internal revolt was catalyzed by long-standing grievances regarding the lack of organizational restructuring since February 2022, which the rebels claim violated the party constitution.

A Battle for Control and Assets

The conflict has moved rapidly from the meeting halls to the financial and legal corridors. With an estimated ₹1,100 crore in party funds at stake, legal warfare is now inevitable. The rebel faction has already taken steps to freeze a ₹675 crore account held by the party in a South Kolkata bank branch. Furthermore, in a significant procedural victory for the dissidents, the Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly has recognized the rebel group’s claim to the Leader of the Opposition post, effectively sidelining the previous nominee supported by the Mamata camp.

The crisis stems from deep-rooted friction over the nomination of the Leader of the Opposition. When dissidents Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha challenged the signatures on a proposal for Subrata Mukherjee, they were expelled for "anti-party activities." Rather than retreating, they doubled down, filing complaints regarding alleged forgery in assembly documents and rallying support from a significant portion of the legislative bloc.

Why it matters: The Bigger Picture

This fragmentation represents more than just a struggle for a party symbol or an advertisement for power; it signals the end of the unipolar authority মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় once enjoyed over her party. By mirroring the recent political patterns seen in states like Maharashtra, the dissidents are testing whether an internal "revolt of the cadres" can dismantle an established leadership hierarchy. Whether this is a temporary fracture or a terminal decline for the current TMC structure depends on the upcoming legal battles over the party’s name and assets.

As the party fractures into three distinct entities—the official TMC, the rebel "Real TMC" acting as a new opposition force, and a group of neutral Lok Sabha MPs—the instability is being closely watched by national political observers. With google search trends spiking and international outlets like the bbc and prothomalo covering the regional ripple effects, the vacuum left by this infighting is already being exploited by rival parties. Leaders like Himanta Biswa Sarma have seized the moment, framing the chaos as a failure of governance and calling for a change in leadership to address concerns like cross-border migration.