Mamata Banerjee

In a video message, Banerjee spoke about recent rebellions within the party and alleged harassment of TMC leaders. She said the BJP had left no stone unturned in its attempts to intimidate the party.

The altered arithmetic in the state assembly has placed the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) in a strong position to win all three seats in a contest that would ordinarily have yielded one seat to the opposition.

The rebel group’s MLAs visited the West Bengal chief electoral officer on Tuesday evening to submit a letter demanding recognition as the official All India Trinamool Congress and rights to the twin-flower election symbol.

The rebellion within the TMC is expected to intensify with a group of around 20 dissident MPs expected to submit a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker today. The list of breakaway MPs include senior leaders Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Yusuf Pathan and Saayoni Ghosh, among others.

The party is witnessing unrest both in the Assembly and in Parliament. The two factions appear to be moving in very different directions. Despite their contrasting political positions, each side insists that it embodies the true spirit and legacy of the TMC.

The meeting comes a day after the two leaderds met during the INDIA bloc meeting held in Delhi. This at a politically significant moment as opposition leaders continue efforts to maintain cohesion and strategic alignment following recent electoral setbacks.

Ray, a veteran leader and one of the most articulate voices of the TMC in Parliament, submitted his resignation to the Rajya Sabha chairman and simultaneously announced his decision to quit the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

In an interview, Jha, known as close confidant of Nitish Kumar, claimed that a broad agreement had been reached within the Opposition alliance on elevating Kumar to the post, but the move was thwarted during a key meeting held in Patna in June 2023.

Under the anti-defection law, a breakaway faction requires the support of at least two-thirds of a legislature party to avoid disqualification. With the TMC having 80 MLAs in the Assembly, the threshold stands at 54.

TMC has called a protest today amid growing political turmoil following the expulsion of two of its MLAs over alleged anti-party activities and reports that several more leaders are in contact with the BJP, which swept to power in West Bengal with a landslide victory in the recent Assembly elections