60 TMC MLAs Pick Ritabrata Banerjee As LoP in West Bengal; Big Blow To Mamata Banerjee

The tussle inside the Trinamool Congress has sharpened after expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee has been recognised as Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, with the rebel group claiming backing from 60 of the party's 80 MLAs, even as the dissidents insist Mamata Banerjee continues as party chief and remains their political leader.

Ritabrata Banerjee has defended creating a separate bloc in the House, arguing that the step is aimed at ending confusion over the Opposition leadership, not at challenging Mamata Banerjee. He told reporters, "Our leader is Mamata Banerjee and we are from the TMC. It has become a matter of ridicule in society that the TMC has been unable to elect a Leader of the Opposition. We have come forward to save the party."

TMC crisis: rebel bloc structure, forged signatures row and expulsion of MLAs

Banerjee has urged Mamata Banerjee to accept the arrangement, saying, "We appeal to our leader Mamata Banerjee to give her consent to it." Within the rebel legislative bloc, Raghunathganj MLA Akhruzzaman has been named Chief Whip, while the dissidents have also proposed MLAs Seuli Saha, Sabina Yesmin, Javed Khan and Sandipan Saha as deputy leaders inside the Assembly.

The present crisis traces back to a dispute over alleged forged signatures on a letter that supported Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition. MLAs Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee complained to the Assembly secretariat that their names and signatures had been faked on that communication. Shortly afterwards, the Trinamool Congress expelled both legislators for "anti-party activities".

Even before the Speaker's decision, rebel MLAs met inside the Bengal Assembly to finalise their plan and assert that they represent the "real" Trinamool Congress. Sources said the group claims the support of more than two-thirds of sitting TMC MLAs and prepared a letter for the Speaker to that effect, while also ruling out launching a new political party at this stage.

TMC crisis: recognition of Ritabrata Banerjee, letter to Speaker and rival LoP claims

Later, the dissident camp submitted a letter signed by 60 of the 80 TMC MLAs to Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose, endorsing Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of Opposition but still naming Mamata Banerjee as party leader. Exclusive images from the Assembly showed Banerjee leading the delegation to the Speaker's office with the letter in hand.

Following the submission, the Speaker conferred the official status of Leader of Opposition on Ritabrata Banerjee and handed over the keys to the LoP office room. Speaking inside the Assembly, Banerjee said, "We have fought as a team. We are 58 MLAs now. We are the principal opposition. Two more are with us, but they are out of state. But they may consider us. Two more will be added and the total number is 60."

However, the main party leadership has tried to assert its own choices for Assembly posts. Senior leader and MP Kalyan Banerjee wrote to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly stating that the Trinamool Congress has appointed Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition, Ashima Patra and Nayana Bandopadhyay as Deputy Leaders of Opposition and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip. His communication to the Speaker has also been posted on social media, including the line: "To The Hon'ble Speaker West Bengal Legislative Assembly Sir, This is to inform you that the All India Trinamool Congress has made the following appointments wit hregard to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly: Leader of Opposition – Sri Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay Deputy Leaders… — Kalyan Banerjee (@KBanerjee_AITC) June 3, 2026".

TMC crisis: party committees dissolved and organisational review ordered

Amid the confrontation in the legislature, the Trinamool Congress has dissolved all party committees and frontal organisations in West Bengal. In a statement on X, the party said, "The party will undertake a comprehensive exercise of introspection, performance review and organisational assessment at every level. Based on the findings of this exercise, the organisational structure of the parent body and all frontal organisations will be reconstituted and announced in due course."

The party shake-up follows a day of rapid moves as the dissident MLAs tried to strengthen their claim over the legislative wing, while the central leadership attempted to reassert control. The developments have deepened speculation over a possible split, even though the rebels repeatedly state that they are working to "save" the Trinamool Congress from within.

TMC crisis: Ritabrata Banerjee's political journey and legal moves by Abhishek Banerjee

At the centre of events is Ritabrata Banerjee, a first-time MLA and former Left student leader. Banerjee rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a campus organiser and later became general secretary of the CPM's student wing, a role held for eight years. The CPM sent Banerjee to the Rajya Sabha before expelling the leader, after which Banerjee joined the Trinamool Congress in 2021 and is now challenging the party establishment.

Parallel to the Assembly tussle, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee has approached the Calcutta High Court over a notice from the CID. The notice concerns the alleged forged signatures connected to Opposition MLAs in the Assembly. The court has allowed the case to be filed. The CID had summoned Abhishek Banerjee to its headquarters, but Abhishek Banerjee cited ill health, skipped the appearance, and sought more time to respond.

TMC crisis: BJP response, Nabanna meetings and list of MLAs in spotlight

The Bharatiya Janata Party has publicly distanced itself from speculation that it might induct unhappy Trinamool leaders. Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya told reporters that the party would not admit "tainted" figures and added that "trinamoolisation of BJP" would never happen, signalling that the BJP wants to avoid being seen as sheltering defectors amid the turmoil.

Inside the administration, the crisis has overlapped with meetings chaired by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Nabanna. An administrative review session, headed by Suvendu Adhikari, saw the presence of several TMC MLAs, including some identified with the rebel bloc. Sources said 18 Trinamool MLAs attended the meeting, beyond the three earlier mentioned by party insiders.

The names of the MLAs present at Suvendu Adhikari's Nabanna meeting are listed below.

Earlier, three TMC MLAs considered close to Mamata Banerjee — Ashok Deb, Nayna Bandopadhyay and Kunal Ghosh — were also seen entering Nabanna for another administrative review meeting chaired by Suvendu Adhikari. Their presence drew attention because the same trio had joined a protest called by Mamata Banerjee on 2 June against post-poll violence, highlighting the fluid loyalties within the organisation.

As the political drama builds, Abhishek Banerjee is at Mamata Banerjee's residence in Kalighat, Kolkata, where discussions are believed to be underway on how to address the rebellion and the organisational reshuffle. Suvendu Adhikari's earlier administrative meeting at Nabanna has ended, and MLAs from the rebel camp, including Ritabrata Banerjee, have moved towards the Bengal Assembly for further strategy sessions.

Alongside the TMC crisis, the Suvendu Adhikari-led state government has announced that Bengal Foundation Day will be observed across West Bengal on 20 June, with programmes planned in every district. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Kolkata on the same date, adding another layer of political attention to the state later in the month.

The TMC now faces rival claims over the Leader of Opposition's post, competing letters before the Speaker, an internal organisational shake-up, and investigations linked to the signatures controversy, while the rebel group insists loyalty to Mamata Banerjee and the party, and the official leadership strives to reassert control amid the broader political churn in West Bengal.