Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata: West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress is facing a serious internal crisis, with expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee arriving at the state Assembly on Wednesday claiming the support of 59 MLAs, pitching himself as the Leader of the Opposition against the party’s official nominee Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay.
The Rebel Faction’s Move
A joint letter signed by 58 rebel TMC MLAs nominating Ritabrata Banerjee has been submitted to the Speaker. The letter asserts that this group constitutes the “real” Trinamool Congress, while also claiming that Mamata Banerjee remains their leader. MLAs accompanying Banerjee to the Assembly included Arup Roy, Shiuli Saha, and Akhruzzaman. TMC has 80 MLAs in the 294-member house, meaning the rebel group claims to represent nearly three-quarters of the party’s legislative strength.
What Triggered the Split
The trouble began after Mamata Banerjee named party veteran Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition. Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha alleged that the letter supporting Chattopadhyay carried forged signatures, leading to their expulsion from the party on Monday for anti-party activities.
Forgery Probe Underway
The Assembly Secretariat filed a police case and the CID is now probing the signature forgery allegations. CM Suvendu Adhikari said three TMC MLAs — Baharul Islam, Arup Roy, and Subhashish Das — have confessed to the CID that they did not sign the document backing Chattopadhyay.
