TMC Rebels Oust Mamata Banerjee as Party Chairperson, Name Arup Roy as New Chief
Rebel faction claims support of 65 MLAs and says the leadership change follows Election Commission rules, while Mamata Banerjee loyalists dismiss the move as illegitimate.
A dramatic power struggle has unfolded within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), with a rebel faction announcing the removal of party founder and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the party's chairperson.
At a meeting held in Kolkata, the rebel group unanimously elected former Minister Arup Roy as the new chairperson. Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, who is leading the rebellion, said the faction has also removed Abhishek Banerjee as the party's general secretary. Ritabrata Banerjee, Sandipan Saha, and Jawed Khan were appointed as the new general secretaries.
The rebel faction also named former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, former Minister Aroop Biswas, and Rathin Ghosh as vice-presidents, while Raghunathganj MLA Akhruzzaman was appointed treasurer.
Ritabrata Banerjee claimed that the faction enjoys the support of 65 out of the TMC's 80 MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly and insisted that all procedural requirements under the Election Commission's rules had been followed. He said the Commission would be officially informed of the leadership changes.
The developments were strongly rejected by Mamata Banerjee's loyalists. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh described the rebel meeting as a "comedy show," asserting that there can be no Trinamool Congress without Mamata Banerjee. He maintained that the party's official leadership remains unchanged and said the matter is before the court.
The rebellion gathered pace after the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election, in which the Trinamool Congress lost power to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to the rebel faction, only 14 MLAs continue to support Mamata Banerjee, while one legislator remains in jail.
The split has also extended to Parliament. The rebel camp claims that 20 of the party's 28 Lok Sabha MPs have broken away from Mamata Banerjee's leadership, merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCP), and pledged support to the BJP-led government at the Centre.
The political battle is expected to intensify as both factions continue to stake claim to the Trinamool Congress name and leadership.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only. While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, News Setu makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, or reliability of the content. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk.