Rebel TMC MLAs replace Mamata Banerjee as chairperson, pick Arup Roy
For a party founded by Mamata Banerjee in 1998 and built around her political identity for nearly three decades, the latest developments represent one of the most significant internal challenges in its history.
In a major move that is set to further intensify the battle for control of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee on Monday named senior MLA Arup Roy as the chairperson of what it described as the "real" Trinamool Congress, effectively challenging party founder Mamata Banerjee's leadership.
The rebel camp also announced the suspension of the party's national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, shortly after unveiling a parallel organisational structure, signalling that its challenge has expanded beyond the legislature into the party's organisational hierarchy.
The development marks the most serious organisational challenge yet to Mamata Banerjee, whose authority over the party has come under mounting pressure following a series of defections and rebellions in both the legislative and parliamentary wings after the TMC's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The decision to appoint Roy as chairperson came after Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee and rebel Trinamool MLAs held a separate meeting with party councillors at a five-star hotel in New Town. Senior leaders including Arup Roy, Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha, Asim Bose, Jui Biswas and Tarak Singh attended the meeting, along with rebel MLAs, councillors and former elected representatives from Kolkata, Howrah, Murshidabad, Berhampore and several other districts.
The rebel faction said the meeting had been convened to address what it described as a "constitutional crisis" within the party.
Addressing the gathering, Ritabrata Banerjee argued that the party constitution mandates the constitution of a national working committee every three years and that the previous committee, formed in February 2022, had completed its tenure without being reconstituted.
"The organisational structure was not reconstituted after the expiry of its tenure. Therefore, it became necessary to initiate the process of rebuilding the party's national leadership in accordance with the constitution," a leader present at the meeting quoted Banerjee as saying.
Following his address, the gathering unanimously approved the formation of a new national working committee comprising Arup Roy, Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Biplab Mitra, Akhruzzaman Ansari, Sabina Yasmin, Sandipan Saha, Rathin Ghosh, Javed Khan and Ritabrata Banerjee. The committee was later expanded to 30 members.
Soon afterwards, Arup Roy, the veteran MLA from Howrah Central, was elected chairperson by voice vote.
Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Rathin Ghosh and Sabina Yasmin were appointed vice-chairpersons, while Ritabrata Banerjee, Javed Khan and Sandipan Saha were named general secretaries. Akhruzzaman Ansari was appointed treasurer, and the newly constituted committee resolved to appoint an independent auditor to examine the party's financial records.
The faction maintained that the newly formed committee represented the legitimate continuation of the Trinamool Congress, arguing that the existing leadership had failed to adhere to the organisational provisions laid down in the party constitution.
Sources in the rebel camp claimed that around 60 MLAs and a large number of councillors, including many from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, either attended the meeting or extended their support to the resolutions adopted.
Meanwhile, leaders loyal to Mamata Banerjee dismissed the developments as a farce, reiterating that the Trinamool Congress is synonymous with Banerjee.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh of the official camp dismissed the move as a "comical show", saying the party attached no importance to what he described as such theatrics.
"It is a comedy show. A man who has been expelled from the TMC is holding a special session. The matter is in the court and we believe justice will be done. We do not give any importance to such comical behaviour. TMC = Mamata Banerjee. All else is a circus," he wrote on X.
Trinamool Congress is witnessing one of the biggest internal rebellions in its history after losing power in West Bengal following nearly 15 years in office.
Weeks ago, a majority of the party's MLAs had backed Ritabrata Banerjee's claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition, rejecting the nominee supported by the Mamata Banerjee-led leadership. The rebel camp has since claimed it now commands the support of around 65 legislators in the Assembly.
The turmoil has also spilled over into Parliament later. At least 20 of the party's 28 Lok Sabha MPs broke away from the Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party and merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), while extending support to the BJP-led NDA, significantly weakening the party's strength in the Lok Sabha.
In a major move that is set to further intensify the battle for control of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee on Monday named senior MLA Arup Roy as the chairperson of what it described as the "real" Trinamool Congress, effectively challenging party founder Mamata Banerjee's leadership.
The rebel camp also announced the suspension of the party's national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, shortly after unveiling a parallel organisational structure, signalling that its challenge has expanded beyond the legislature into the party's organisational hierarchy.
The development marks the most serious organisational challenge yet to Mamata Banerjee, whose authority over the party has come under mounting pressure following a series of defections and rebellions in both the legislative and parliamentary wings after the TMC's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The decision to appoint Roy as chairperson came after Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee and rebel Trinamool MLAs held a separate meeting with party councillors at a five-star hotel in New Town. Senior leaders including Arup Roy, Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha, Asim Bose, Jui Biswas and Tarak Singh attended the meeting, along with rebel MLAs, councillors and former elected representatives from Kolkata, Howrah, Murshidabad, Berhampore and several other districts.
The rebel faction said the meeting had been convened to address what it described as a "constitutional crisis" within the party.
Addressing the gathering, Ritabrata Banerjee argued that the party constitution mandates the constitution of a national working committee every three years and that the previous committee, formed in February 2022, had completed its tenure without being reconstituted.
"The organisational structure was not reconstituted after the expiry of its tenure. Therefore, it became necessary to initiate the process of rebuilding the party's national leadership in accordance with the constitution," a leader present at the meeting quoted Banerjee as saying.
Following his address, the gathering unanimously approved the formation of a new national working committee comprising Arup Roy, Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Biplab Mitra, Akhruzzaman Ansari, Sabina Yasmin, Sandipan Saha, Rathin Ghosh, Javed Khan and Ritabrata Banerjee. The committee was later expanded to 30 members.
Soon afterwards, Arup Roy, the veteran MLA from Howrah Central, was elected chairperson by voice vote.
Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Rathin Ghosh and Sabina Yasmin were appointed vice-chairpersons, while Ritabrata Banerjee, Javed Khan and Sandipan Saha were named general secretaries. Akhruzzaman Ansari was appointed treasurer, and the newly constituted committee resolved to appoint an independent auditor to examine the party's financial records.
The faction maintained that the newly formed committee represented the legitimate continuation of the Trinamool Congress, arguing that the existing leadership had failed to adhere to the organisational provisions laid down in the party constitution.
Sources in the rebel camp claimed that around 60 MLAs and a large number of councillors, including many from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, either attended the meeting or extended their support to the resolutions adopted.
Meanwhile, leaders loyal to Mamata Banerjee dismissed the developments as a farce, reiterating that the Trinamool Congress is synonymous with Banerjee.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh of the official camp dismissed the move as a "comical show", saying the party attached no importance to what he described as such theatrics.
"It is a comedy show. A man who has been expelled from the TMC is holding a special session. The matter is in the court and we believe justice will be done. We do not give any importance to such comical behaviour. TMC = Mamata Banerjee. All else is a circus," he wrote on X.
Trinamool Congress is witnessing one of the biggest internal rebellions in its history after losing power in West Bengal following nearly 15 years in office.
Weeks ago, a majority of the party's MLAs had backed Ritabrata Banerjee's claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition, rejecting the nominee supported by the Mamata Banerjee-led leadership. The rebel camp has since claimed it now commands the support of around 65 legislators in the Assembly.
The turmoil has also spilled over into Parliament later. At least 20 of the party's 28 Lok Sabha MPs broke away from the Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party and merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), while extending support to the BJP-led NDA, significantly weakening the party's strength in the Lok Sabha.
