New Crisis in TMC: Expelled Leader Riju Datta Claims Over 50 MLAs Are With Him, What lies ahead?

Kolkata: Speculation is rife within the political corridors of West Bengal. Riju Datta, a leader recently expelled from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has claimed that more than 50 MLAs are preparing to break away from the party and assert themselves as the "real" Trinamool Congress.

According to Datta, this faction plans to meet with the Assembly Speaker to present three demands. They seek official recognition for their faction as the legitimate TMC; they want Ritabrata Banerjee to be recognized as the Leader of the Opposition, replacing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay; and they also intend to stake a claim to the party's election symbol.

However, the path ahead is not an easy one. The TMC currently holds 80 seats in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. For any breakaway faction to secure official recognition, it would require the support of at least 54 MLAs—that is, two-thirds of the total legislative strength. If this numerical threshold is not met, it is highly unlikely that the Speaker will grant recognition to this new faction.

These claims gained momentum after Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee—MLAs recently expelled from the party—allegedly met with several TMC legislators on Monday at the MLA Hostel in Kolkata. According to sources, the meeting was also attended by certain MLAs considered to be close associates of Mamata Banerjee.

Leaders defecting from TMC will not join BJP

West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya categorically dismissed speculations that the rebel TMC MLAs might join the BJP. He stated that the party has built its strength through grassroots-level work and has no intention of opening its doors to leaders defecting from the TMC.

Conversely, senior TMC leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay asserted that the vast majority of the party's MLAs stand firmly with Mamata Banerjee, and that the party's organizational structure remains firmly under the control of its established leadership. Congress leader Udit Raj expressed a differing opinion on the matter. He claimed that dissent within the TMC is mounting and indicated that the party's political future could prove to be quite challenging.

What lies ahead?

Political observers foresee three potential outcomes. The first is a large-scale defection backed by the support of two-thirds of the TMC's legislators. The second is the emergence of a rival faction that stakes a claim to being the "real" TMC. And the third is that the rebel legislators band together to form an entirely new political party. 

Experts caution that the resolution of this matter cannot be determined solely by the numerical strength of members in the Legislative Assembly. Any dispute regarding the party's name and election symbol will also hinge upon the support of Members of Parliament (MPs), control over the party organization, and the backing of official office-bearers. These factors played a pivotal role in past political conflicts involving parties such as the Shiv Sena and the NCP.

For the moment, these developments have added a new layer of uncertainty to the politics of West Bengal, as all eyes remain fixed on just how much support any rebel faction can actually garner.

A New Crisis in the TMC

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