‘Asli TMC’ Battle: Why Rebel MPs Are Meeting Speaker Om Birla And What Anti-Defection Law Says

Published 14 June 2026 · local

‘Asli TMC’ Battle: Why Rebel MPs Are Meeting Speaker Om Birla And What Anti-Defection Law Says Published By, Last Updated: June 14, 2026, 12:52 IST

‘Asli TMC’ Battle: Why Rebel MPs Are Meeting Speaker Om Birla And What Anti-Defection Law Says Published By, Last Updated: June 14, 2026, 12:52 IST The rebel TMC MPs left for Delhi on Sunday and are expected to hold discussions before meeting the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday. TMC Crisis: A severe internal rebellion has engulfed the Trinamool Congress after its May 2026 Bengal defeat, posing an existential threat to Mamata Banerjee's party. The battle within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is set to enter a crucial phase as rebel MPs travel to Delhi ahead of a planned meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday. The dissident lawmakers are preparing to seek recognition as the “Asli TMC" and are expected to finalise their strategy before meeting the Speaker. The development comes amid a widening confrontation between the rebel camp and the Mamata Banerjee-led leadership, with both sides citing legal arguments to support their claims. What are the rebel TMC MPs planning? The rebel TMC MPs left for Delhi on Sunday and are expected to hold discussions before meeting the Lok Sabha Speaker. According to sources, the agenda includes taking stock of the signatures already secured by the group, assessing whether more MPs are likely to join, and examining the legal provisions on which they believe they have a strong case. The group is also expected to prepare its response to legal objections raised by the Mamata Banerjee camp.

All MPs who have signed the letter backing the rebel move have reportedly been asked to be present ahead of the Speaker meeting. Kakoli hints at more MPs support Rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar indicated that the dissident camp could grow further. “We are all kings. There are two more leaders as well. I had earlier spoken about 20; that number will become 22. Those who are joining are in regular contact with us," she said. Her remarks came amid speculation over the future role of senior TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay and reports that more leaders could align with the rebels. Legal notice from Kakoli’s son The political dispute has also taken a legal turn. Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar, son of rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, has issued a legal notice to Mamata Banerjee and several senior TMC leaders, including Mahua Moitra, Kalyan Banerjee, Sougata Roy and Sonali Guha. In the notice, he denied allegations that he had sought a party ticket from the Barasat Assembly constituency. He stated that he had no political ambition regarding the seat and demanded a public clarification and apology within 15 days, acknowledging that he neither sought nor desired a nomination from the constituency. What is TMC’s legal argument? The Mamata Banerjee camp has relied on the Anti-Defection Law to challenge the rebels’ position. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghosh cited Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and argued that MPs or MLAs can avoid disqualification only if their original political party merges with another party.