Trinamool Does A ‘Shinde’ On Mamata? Ritabrata Banerjee Secures 59 MLA Signatures, Meets Speaker
Trinamool Does A ‘Shinde’ On Mamata? Ritabrata Banerjee Secures 59 MLA Signatures, Meets Speaker Published By, Last Updated: June 03, 2026, 13:42 IST Expelled TMC
Trinamool Does A ‘Shinde’ On Mamata? Ritabrata Banerjee Secures 59 MLA Signatures, Meets Speaker Published By, Last Updated: June 03, 2026, 13:42 IST Expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee has claimed the support of 59 legislators and approached the Speaker, deepening the party’s post-poll crisis in Bengal Rapid Read Mamata Banerjee (Left) Expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee (Right) Claims Backing of 59 MLAs. Barely a month after its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is staring at one of the sharpest internal crises in its history. A rebel faction led by expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee has moved to challenge Mamata Banerjee’s control over the party’s legislative wing, claiming the support of nearly 60 MLAs and triggering talk of a “Shinde-style" split in Bengal politics. On Wednesday, Ritabrata Banerjee reached the West Bengal Assembly and met the Speaker, claiming the support of 59 of the TMC’s 80 MLAs and seeking a change in the post of Leader of Opposition, according to News18 sources. The move came days after the TMC expelled Banerjee and Entally MLA Sandipan Saha for alleged anti-party activities. The expulsion itself came shortly after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, during a press conference, disclosed Banerjee’s name and said the Speaker had received a formal complaint from the rebel MLA. The developments are drawing comparisons with Maharashtra, where Eknath Shinde broke away from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena with the support of most party MLAs, formed a separate group in the Assembly and eventually wrested the party’s name and symbol. Shinde later became chief minister with BJP support. What Is The Rebel Camp Claiming? The rebel group is pushing for Ritabrata Banerjee, MLA from Uluberia Purba, to be recognised as the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.
Sandipan Saha has been proposed as Deputy Leader of Opposition, while Raghunathganj MLA Akhurzzaman’s name has been put forward as Chief Whip. According to sources, the rebels had been camping in Kolkata for two days before Wednesday’s Assembly move. A meeting was held at the MLA hostel on Tuesday evening, where the group firmed up its position before approaching the Speaker. minister and Sujapur MLA Sabina Yasmin openly backed the move, saying, “We will propose Ritabrata Banerjee’s name as Leader of Opposition." The claim of 59 MLAs is politically significant because the TMC has 80 legislators in the Assembly. A strength of 59 would be well above the two-thirds mark within the legislature party. Why Did The Crisis Begin? The immediate trigger was a dispute over a party resolution submitted on May 6. Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha alleged that their signatures, along with those of several other TMC legislators, were forged on a document naming the party’s Leader of Opposition, Deputy Leader and Chief Whip in the Assembly. The two MLAs questioned the authenticity of the signatures attached to the resolution and objected to the process followed by the party leadership. Their objection soon turned into a wider rebellion, with a larger group of MLAs rallying behind Banerjee. On Wednesday, even as the rebel camp moved ahead with its claim, the TMC formally announced its own Assembly leadership positions. The party appointed veteran leader Sobhandev Chatterjee as Leader of Opposition and Firhad Hakim as chief whip. That has created a direct confrontation. Who Is Backing The Rebellion? What makes the crisis serious for Mamata Banerjee is the breadth of the rebel group. This is not simply a group of old rivals or disgruntled veterans.
Several first-time MLAs who won their seats only weeks ago are also said to be backing the camp. A large number of minority-community MLAs, especially from Murshidabad district, have also thrown their weight behind the faction. The names confirmed by News18 include Barnali Dhara from Kulpi, Subhashis Dhara from Maheshtala, Niyamat Sheikh from Hariharpara, Mohammad Nur Alam from Samserganj, Samir Jana from Patharpratima, Tapas Maity from Domjur, Nilima Mishra from Basanti, Arup Roy from Howrah Madhya, Sabina Yasmin from Sujapur, Akhurzzaman from Raghunathganj, Usharani Mondal from Minakhan, Gulshan Mallik from Panchla, Piya Pal from Sankrail, Javed Khan from Kasba, Sandipan Saha from Entally, Ritabrata Banerjee from Uluberia Purba, Prasun Banerjee from Chanchal, Chandranath Sinha from Bolpur, Rathin Ghosh from Madhyamgram and Shiuli Saha from Keshpur. News18 Bangla has also reported the names of Birbhum strongman Kajal Sheikh and Sameer Panja from Udaynarayanpur. Among the prominent figures are former minister Javed Khan, once considered close to Mamata Banerjee, and former minister Chandranath Sinha, another leader who was earlier seen as a loyalist. At the same time, not every MLA who reached the Assembly on Wednesday openly declared rebellion. Some maintained that Mamata Banerjee remained their leader, while others said they had come to the Assembly for personal work. Why Is This Being Compared To Eknath Shinde’s Rebellion? In Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde broke away from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena in 2022 with the backing of most party MLAs. His faction then claimed to represent the real Shiv Sena. The rebellion toppled the Thackeray-led government, Shinde became chief minister with BJP support, and his faction eventually got the party name and symbol. In Bengal, the TMC is no longer in power after its recent election defeat, so there is no government to topple.
But the rebels appear to be following a similar playbook inside the legislature. The battle is over Assembly positions. But the larger political question is whether this becomes a full-scale fight over who represents the “real TMC". What Happens Next? The immediate focus will be on the Speaker. If the rebel MLAs formally submit their signatures and demand recognition for Banerjee as Leader of Opposition, the Speaker will have to consider the competing claims from the official TMC leadership and the rebel camp. The second question is whether the rebels stop at Assembly leadership or move towards a larger organisational claim. For Mamata Banerjee, the crisis is both symbolic and structural. The TMC was built around her leadership, and the party’s internal authority has long flowed from that central command. A public rebellion by dozens of MLAs, especially after an election defeat, challenges that model directly. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Karishma Jain Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo... Read More First Published: June 03, 2026, 13:42 IST News india Trinamool Does A ‘Shinde’ On Mamata? Ritabrata Banerjee Secures 59 MLA Signatures, Meets Speaker Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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