Abhishek Banerjee Meets Rahul Gandhi Amid TMC Rebellion

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee met Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at 10 Janpath in New Delhi on Wednesday, as the TMC faces a political crisis. The meeting followed a series of high-profile resignations and open dissent by several party MPs in Parliament.

The Abhishek Banerjee–Rahul Gandhi interaction also came a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held talks with Congress Parliamentary Chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi. Those back-to-back meetings linked the internal churn in the TMC with wider opposition-level discussions in the national capital.

TMC political crisis deepens with resignations and rebellion

Earlier on Wednesday, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev stepped down from the party’s primary membership, citing discomfort over divided loyalties. While explaining the decision, Sushmita Dev said, "What prompted me to take this decision is a very long story. In politics, I don't think everything needs to be revealed. I did not want to be in a situation where I was in two boats. That is not the right way to do politics," signalling deeper unease inside the party.

The wave of exits intensified when Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned on June 8 from both the Upper House and the TMC’s primary membership. In the resignation, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray blamed the party’s heavy defeat in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections on what was described as a "15-year anarchical rule" under the Mamata Banerjee-led organisation.

TMC political crisis tied to rebel MPs and merger speculation

Alongside the departures, around 20 Lok Sabha MPs from the TMC have reportedly taken a confrontational stand, leading to speculation about an imminent split. The discontented group has challenged the party’s authority within Parliament, adding pressure on Mamata Banerjee’s leadership while the central leadership engages with national opposition figures.

Rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar confirmed that this faction has officially approached the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking to be seated separately. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said, "We are 20 MPs who have requested the Speaker for separate seating, and we will be working in conjunction of the Central and State Government for the development of West Bengal".

The rebel MPs have also met Union Minister and BJP West Bengal election in-charge Bhupender Yadav, along with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. These meetings prompted talk that the breakaway faction could align with the National Democratic Alliance, raising questions about future arithmetic in the Lok Sabha.

Under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, known as the anti-defection law, the dissident TMC MPs would need at least a two-thirds majority in their group to formalise any merger and avoid disqualification. As the TMC political crisis unfolds, party leaders and rivals are watching how these numbers evolve in the coming days.

With inputs from ANI