Who is Ritabrata Banerjee? E TMC leader spearheading party's ‘split’, 58 MLAs back him as LoP in West Bengal Assembly

Key points

• Days after winning the West Bengal Elections 2026, Ritabrata Banerjee was suspended by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for allegedly being involved in anti-party activities.
• He has now emerged as a key face, spearheading the rebellion within Mamata Banerjee's party.
• As many as 59 MLAs have backed him for the role of Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, which has 80 TMC MLAs.
• The dissident TMC MLAs arrived at the state assembly in Kolkata on Wednesday to stake a claim as the main opposition party.
• Sources told PTI on Wednesday that Ritabrata Banerjee, along with fellow rebel MLA Sandipan Saha and several dissident legislators, met West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose and submitted letters of support signed by 58 MLAs.