'My Loyalty Was Questioned, I Was Hurt': Chandrima Bhattacharya On Why She Quit TMC

Published 5 July 2026 · politics

'My Loyalty Was Questioned, I Was Hurt': Chandrima Bhattacharya On Why She Quit TMC Published By, Last Updated: July 05, 2026, 07:06 IST Chandrima Bhattacharya

'My Loyalty Was Questioned, I Was Hurt': Chandrima Bhattacharya On Why She Quit TMC Published By, Last Updated: July 05, 2026, 07:06 IST Chandrima Bhattacharya said Mamata Banerjee's remarks questioning her integrity forced her to resign, before she joined the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction. A file photo of Chandrima Bhattacharya (PTI) West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on Saturday said she resigned from all posts in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) after party chief Mamata Banerjee questioned her integrity over the takeover of the party headquarters by the rebel faction, saying the accusation deeply hurt her and left her with no option but to step down. Speaking to news agency ANI after tendering her resignation, Bhattacharya said Mamata Banerjee accused her of “handing over" the Trinamool Bhavan to the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel camp following Friday’s dramatic developments at the party’s state headquarters. “You saw what happened yesterday. An incident happened at Trinamool Bhavan. After that, Mamata ji spoke to me over the phone. She told me, ‘You handed over Trinamool Bhavan to them.’ This hurt me. There was no need to say this," Bhattacharya said. Elaborating on her decision later, Bhattacharya said the allegation amounted to questioning her integrity despite her years of loyalty to the party. “After that incident on Friday, Mamata Banerjee questioned how I could hand over the party office to the rebel camp.

I was so sad about this question. I even asked her how she could think of that. Thereafter, I felt that when questions are being raised about my integrity, it would not be right for me to continue in the party’s top post." “I may have been harsh to many people at times, but my loyalty was unquestionable. So, with a heavy heart, I have decided to quit. There is no question of going to Kalighat again," she said. Bhattacharya’s resignation came amid an intensifying power struggle within the TMC after the Assembly election defeat, with rival factions battling for control of the party organisation and its assets. RESIGNS FROM ALL PARTY RESPONSIBILITIES In her resignation letter addressed to Mamata Banerjee, Bhattacharya stepped down as the TMC’s West Bengal president, a position she had been given in June 2026. She also resigned from every other party responsibility she held. “I hereby tender my resignation from the post of State President of All India Trinamool Congress. I also hereby resign from all other posts which I hold at present. Please note that I withdraw myself as the authorised signatory in respect of the accounts maintained in Various Banks. I also withdraw myself from being your authorised person before the Election Commission of India," the letter read.