Mamata's TMC to Uddhav Sena: Are rebels sugarcoating party splits now?

Published 22 June 2026 · politics

Are splits in political parties appearing more cordial than how acrimonious they were just a few years ago? This could seem so because of the

Are splits in political parties appearing more cordial than how acrimonious they were just a few years ago? This could seem so because of the way the MLAs and the MPs of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) have rebelled against their leaders. There was no public from the rebels directed at their top leader, Mamata Banerjee and Uddhav Thackeray, while the two have refrained from attacking the rebels. Read Full Story Just a few years ago, party breakups were accompanied by bitter accusations of betrayal, ideological abandonment, and political treachery. Today, rebels increasingly insist they still respect their leaders, while party chiefs appear reluctant to launch personal attacks on those walking away. The contrast becomes evident when comparing the current rebellions in the Mamata-led TMC and the Uddhav-led Sena with Maharashtra's political chapter of 2022. THE BITTER BREAKUP OF SHIV SENA IN 2022 In June 2022, Maharashtra witnessed one of the most dramatic political revolts in recent history when MLA Eknath Shinde rebelled against then-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Objecting to Shiv Sena's alliance with the Congress and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shinde first moved a group of MLAs to Surat before shifting them to Guwahati. Within days, he secured the support of 40 Shiv Sena MLAs and 10 independents, eventually toppling the Uddhav-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. The fallout of the split was fierce. Uddhav loyalists accused Shinde of betraying Bal Thackeray's legacy, while the rebels argued that the party under Uddhav had abandoned its core Hindutva ideology. The dispute escalated into legal battles that continue even today over the anti-defection law. The split eventually led to the Shinde faction being recognised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as the leader of the "real" Shiv Sena, while Uddhav's faction became Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), or Shiv Sena (UBT). Soon after the vertical split of Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar's NCP witnessed its own ugly breakup, marked by public confrontations and sharp exchanges between rival factions.

Cut to 2026, and India is witnessing fresh political rebellions. Yet the tone appears markedly different. THE TMC REBELLION: BEGAN WITH MLAs, FOLLOWED BY MPs The first signs of trouble for the TMC emerged after its defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, ending Mamata Banerjee's 15-year rule. The immediate trigger was a dispute over the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP). While Mamata Banerjee nominated veteran leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, newly elected MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha alleged that signatures on the paper recommending Sovandeb Chattopadhyay's name for the post, had been forged. The party expelled Ritabrata and Sandipan on June 1 for "anti-party activities." However, the move backfired within the party. In the days to follow, 58 of the TMC's 80 MLAs rallied behind Ritabrata Banerjee and submitted a letter to the Assembly Speaker nominating the MLA as the LoP. The Speaker accepted the claim, marking the first successful challenge to Mamata Banerjee's authority over the party's elected representatives since the TMC was founded in 1998. The rebellion reflected growing frustration among legislators after the electoral defeat, complaints about the functioning of the party leadership, and concerns over the lack of internal democracy. Yet despite engineering a split, many of the rebel legislators continued to insist that Mamata Banerjee remained their leader. Ritabrata suggested that Mamata Banerjee become the legislative party's "chief advisor". The rebellion eventually spread to Parliament, with a section of TMC MPs extending support to the BJP-led NDA. Even then, the rebels largely avoided personal attacks on Mamata Banerjee. EVEN MAMATA BANERJEE TARGETED THE BJP, NOT THE REBELS TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's response was also equally striking. Rather than attacking the dissidents directly, she blamed the BJP for orchestrating the split. "I know many will leave for other parties. They may have their own compulsions. Whoever wants to go may go. I do not believe in forcibly holding anyone back," she said after the election defeat.