West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) was thrust into its deepest internal crisis in years on Sunday after a rebel faction claimed to have removed Mamata Banerjee from the party’s top post and suspended her nephew and senior leader Abhishek Banerjee, dramatically escalating a power struggle that could reshape the state’s political landscape.
The rebel group, led by Uluberia Purba MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, convened a meeting in New Town, Kolkata, where it declared itself the “real” Trinamool Congress and announced a parallel leadership structure, Indian media reported.
The faction named senior MLA Arup Roy as party chairperson, replacing Mamata Banerjee.
The move marks a significant escalation in a growing confrontation within the party that has dominated West Bengal politics for more than a decade.
It comes days after the Mamata-led leadership expelled Ritabrata Banerjee for alleged anti-party activities, exposing widening divisions within the ruling camp.
Rebel leaders argued that the existing party leadership had lost legitimacy because the tenure of the last national working committee had expired and was not renewed in accordance with the party constitution.
They claimed this had created a constitutional vacuum within the organization, necessitating the formation of a new leadership structure.
The Mamata Banerjee camp did not immediately respond to the claims, while neither Mamata nor Abhishek Banerjee publicly commented on the rebel faction’s announcements.
The rebellion comes barely weeks after the Trinamool Congress suffered its biggest political setback since the party’s formation.
In May, Narendra Modi’s BJP swept to a historic victory in West Bengal, ending the TMC’s 15-year rule and capturing power in the state for the first time.
The defeat not only removed Mamata Banerjee from government but also triggered questions about the party’s future direction, leadership structure and political relevance.
