West Bengal: Another blow for Mamata Banerjee; Sudip Bandyopadhyay parts ways and joins the rebel faction…

New Delhi. Following the defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections, the internal turmoil within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has reached a boiling point. Senior MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay—long considered TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s most loyal and trusted aide—has adopted a rebellious stance and joined the dissident camp. Sources indicate that this faction is preparing to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to seek recognition as the ‘real TMC’ parliamentary group. Amidst this political upheaval, Manas Bhunia, a former minister in the Mamata Banerjee government, also resigned from the party on Saturday.

After joining the rebel TMC faction, Sudip Bandyopadhyay met Union Minister Bhupender Yadav; rebel TMC MP Satabdi Roy was also present during the meeting. Subsequently, he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Following these developments, sources within the rebel camp clarified that they want the experienced Sudip Bandyopadhyay to lead the dissident group in the Lok Sabha.

To meet the Lok Sabha Speaker
Speaking to the news agency PTI, rebel MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia confirmed that a letter has been submitted and that all rebel MPs will meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to stake their claim as the ‘real TMC’ parliamentary party. He stated that they would request the Speaker to grant legal recognition to their claim. Currently, the TMC has a total of 28 members in the Lok Sabha, 20 of whom have now openly rebelled. Reacting emotionally to this major defection, senior TMC MP Saugata Roy expressed deep hurt over Sudip Bandyopadhyay’s move. He noted that he had spoken to Sudip just three or four days ago, at which time Sudip had insisted he was not going anywhere. According to Saugata, Sudip’s visit to the residence of Bhupender Yadav—who is in charge of ‘Operation Lotus’ in West Bengal—speaks volumes. Meanwhile, Kalyan Banerjee downplayed the matter, stating that many people have left and Sudip-da has also gone; he dismissed it as nothing significant.

Flatly rejecting the rebels’ claims, former TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale stated that if these rebel MPs support the BJP-led NDA, they would face disqualification. He argued that following the 91st Amendment to the Constitution, the law offers no protection for a ‘split’ within a party. Forming a separate parliamentary group enjoys zero legal protection, and if they violate the party whip, the cancellation of their membership is inevitable.

Setback for TMC in Rajya Sabha too
The exodus of TMC MLAs and MPs—both at the central and state levels—is not limited to the Lok Sabha alone. This week, the Trinamool Congress has suffered major setbacks in the Rajya Sabha as well. Three senior Rajya Sabha MPs—Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik—have resigned not only from the Trinamool Congress party but also from their membership of the Upper House (Rajya Sabha), thereby compounding the party’s troubles.

Merger reports are fake
Amidst this political turmoil, rumors regarding a merger between the TMC and the Congress began circulating following meetings in New Delhi between Mamata Banerjee and Sonia Gandhi, as well as between Abhishek Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi. Putting these speculations to rest on Saturday, TMC National Joint Secretary Derek O’Brien stated that reports of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) merging with any other party are completely ‘fake news’ and baseless. Congress leader KC Venugopal has also dismissed this as a complete rumor.