Why Kakoli Ghosh Picked June 8 For TMC MPs’ Revolt Against Mamata Banerjee: 3 Reasons Explained

Published 8 June 2026 · politics

Why Kakoli Ghosh Picked June 8 For TMC MPs’ Revolt Against Mamata Banerjee: 3 Reasons Explained Published By, Last Updated: June 08, 2026, 16:24 IST

Why Kakoli Ghosh Picked June 8 For TMC MPs’ Revolt Against Mamata Banerjee: 3 Reasons Explained Published By, Last Updated: June 08, 2026, 16:24 IST Anti-defection law to INDIA bloc meet, TMC MPs, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, picked June 8 for revolt for these 3 reasons Rapid Read Mamata Banerjee with Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. (X/File) Days after the Trinamool Congress’s crushing defeat in the West Bengal elections, at least 20 dissident TMC MPs on Monday submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking to join the Democratic Alliance (NDA), with Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as their leader. Why did the MPs revolt on June 8 (Monday)? News18 explains the four reasons. Why Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is leading the rebellion Following the TMC’s electoral debacle, Barasat MP Dastidar resigned from all her organizational responsibilities, including her position as the President of the All India Mahila Trinamool Congress (the party’s women’s wing) and the Barasat organizational district president. While she maintained that she would retain her Lok Sabha seat, she cited a “deep mental conflict" and long contemplation regarding the party’s functioning.

Dastidar openly rebelled against the party’s central leadership structure, pointing fingers at the political consultancy firm I-PAC brought in by Abhishek Banerjee. She publicly stated that I-PAC’s high-handed decisions marginalized veteran, grassroots party workers and destroyed the lower-rank morale, which directly contributed to the election defeat. She explicitly criticised the policies and failures of the state government, breaking directly with the narrative set by party supremo Mamata Banerjee. In her strongly-worded resignation, Dastidar cited severe institutionalised corruption —specifically noting the ration distribution and teacher recruitment scams — and the mishandling of high-profile women’s safety issues in the state. She openly defied party lines by attending an administrative review meeting chaired by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, stoking widespread speculation that she and a substantial faction of disgruntled TMC legislators are preparing for a complete political split. How Mamata reacted to Dastidar’s claims The internal factionalism peaked when Mamata Banerjee replaced Dastidar with Kalyan Banerjee as the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha. Following this, Dastidar lodged a formal complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Kalyan Banerjee.

She accused him of being a “habitual offender" who repeatedly subjected her and other female MPs to verbal abuse and misogynistic behavior inside Parliament. Kalyan Banerjee dismissed her allegations as baseless, while the Lok Sabha Speaker is reportedly considering referring the matter to the Ethics Committee. Why June 8 was picked as the day for revolt There are three reasons why June 8 was picked as the day for revolt Banerjee removed Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as the party’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha and appointed Kalyan Banerjee to the position but that formal communication apparently did not reach the Lok Sabha secretariat. So, for the Lok Sabha, she is still chief whip. This means, the anti-defection law will not apply to the rebels. Moreover, June 8 was picked for maximum impact as the INDIA bloc meeting was held today. After submitting the letter, Dastidar said, “We accept the poll verdict in Bengal, but believe our future political course should be aligned with the NDA…Nearly 20 TMC MPs, including me, decided to lend support to BJP-led NDA." With agency inputs News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Manjiri Joshi At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci...