'10-15 TMC MPs Contacted Me': BJP's Dibyendu Adhikari Amid Bengal Opposition Turmoil
'10-15 TMC MPs Contacted Me': BJP's Dibyendu Adhikari Amid Bengal Opposition Turmoil Reported By:,, Edited By Last Updated: June 03, 2026, 08:04 IST Dibyendu Adhikari
'10-15 TMC MPs Contacted Me': BJP's Dibyendu Adhikari Amid Bengal Opposition Turmoil Reported By:,, Edited By Last Updated: June 03, 2026, 08:04 IST Dibyendu Adhikari claimed 10 to 15 TMC MPs contacted him amid turmoil in the party, as suspensions and rebellion rumours intensified in West Bengal politics. A file photo of Mamata Banerjee (PTI) BJP MLA from West Bengal’s Egra, Dibyendu Adhikari, has claimed that several Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs are in touch with him amid the ongoing turmoil within the opposition party in the state. Maintaining that the crisis within the TMC is deepening, Adhikari alleged that “10 to 15 TMC MPs" had contacted him over the phone in recent days. “In the current situation, being suspended from the TMC or remaining within the TMC no longer has any meaning," Adhikari claimed while referring to the recent suspension of two TMC MLAs. He further alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led party was headed towards a collapse. “The ruling party is temporary and will dissolve in a very short time," he claimed, adding that the BJP leadership in the state had instructed party workers not to induct anyone at present.
“Our BJP state president has clearly said that no one should be inducted right now. Whatever the party chief decides will be final," Adhikari said. His remarks come at a time when the TMC has been witnessing internal tensions and speculation over possible defections by some legislators. However, the BJP MLA did not name the MPs whom he claimed had contacted him. The political controversy intensified after the suspension of two TMC MLAs over alleged anti-party activities. The suspended legislators include MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, accused by the party of acting against its organisational interests. Ritabrata Banerjee has recently been at the centre of political speculation over claims that a section of TMC legislators could break away from the party. Reports suggested that meetings involving disgruntled MLAs had taken place at the MLA Hostel and at a hotel in Kolkata over the past few days. The suspended MLAs had also questioned the process through which senior TMC leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay was nominated as the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.
The controversy has triggered sharp political exchanges between the BJP and the TMC. A day before, former TMC leader-turned-BJP minister Tapas Roy claimed that the TMC was “heading towards a split" and compared the situation to the “Maharashtra model", a reference to the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena. West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya also alleged that the TMC was “never a democratic party", while asserting that the BJP had nothing to do with the internal developments in the opposition camp. On the other hand, senior TMC leaders rejected the claims of a rebellion within the party. Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay accused the ruling dispensation of trying to engineer defections and destabilise the TMC. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh also alleged that efforts were being made to manipulate the political situation around the Leader of the Opposition issue. The TMC had won 80 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly election. Under Assembly rules, a political party requires the support of at least 29 MLAs to retain recognition as the principal opposition party in the House.
While no official split has been confirmed so far, the developments have fuelled intense speculation in West Bengal’s political circles over the future of the TMC and the possibility of further defections in the coming days. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Kamalika Sengupta Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and women’s issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting... Read More First Published: June 03, 2026, 08:03 IST News india '10-15 TMC MPs Contacted Me': BJP's Dibyendu Adhikari Amid Bengal Opposition Turmoil 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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