Mamata Banerjee's TMC Splits: 58 MLAs Form Separate Faction; Ritabrata Banerjee Becomes Leader of the Opposition in W Bengal Assembly.
For the first time in its 28-year history, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) has formally split. On Wednesday, 58 rebel MLAs elected expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee as their leader. They submitted a letter of support to Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose.
The letter demanded that Ritabrata be declared the Leader of the Opposition. According to the media reports, the Speaker has approved the request. He has also been allotted the Leader of the Opposition's chamber within the Assembly. Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha, and Siuli Saha have been appointed Deputy Leaders, while Akharuzzaman has been named Chief Whip.
However, neither the Assembly Speaker nor Mamata Banerjee has issued a statement regarding this entire sequence of events so far. Mamata now retains the support of 22 MLAs. The TMC had won 80 out of the 294 seats in the Assembly.
Firhad Hakim resigns
Meanwhile, senior leader Kunal Ghosh stated that TMC MLA Firhad Hakim has resigned from the post of Mayor of Kolkata. This dispute began when Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha were expelled from the party following allegations of forged signatures on a resolution concerning the selection of the Leader of the Opposition.
We have been recognized as the principal opposition: Ritabrata
Speaking to the media, Ritabrata Banerjee stated, "This legislative party of the Trinamool Congress believes not in 'I,' but in 'We.' We have adhered to every rule and norm that has been established; it is precisely for this reason that we have been recognized as the principal opposition in the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly."
We wish for Mamata to serve as our chief advisor
He added, "We wish for Mamata Banerjee to serve as our chief advisor and to provide us with guidance that further strengthens our position as the opposition. Eighty members were elected under the Trinamool Congress's election symbol. Of these, more than two-thirds have endorsed our claim, and our claim has subsequently been accepted."
Amidst internal party dissent, Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday dissolved all state-level committees and frontal organizations with immediate effect. The party will now undertake a complete restructuring of the entire organization.