Will the split in the TMC's state and Parliamentary unit spell the end of the party? Political scientist Neelanjan Sircar explains why Mamata’s best option would be to wait out its rebelling MLAs and what it got wrong in its use of a political consultant.
The Trinamool Congress is facing its gravest internal rupture since it became the state’s dominant political force, with rebellions in its state and parliamentary units just weeks after it lost power in the West Bengal election.
A suspended TMC MLA has claimed that over 50 out of 80 legislators are ready to break away and seek recognition as the real TMC, with Ritabrata Banerjee being projected as an alternative Leader of Opposition in the state. In the Lok Sabha, a group of 19 rebel TMC MPs said they will form a separate bloc and support the BJP-led NDA, leaving the TMC with just nine MPs. Three of the party’s Rajya Sabha MPs have resigned.
A suspended TMC MLA has claimed that over 50 out of 80 legislators are ready to break away and seek recognition as the real TMC, with Ritabrata Banerjee being projected as an alternative Leader of Opposition in the state. In the Lok Sabha, a group of 19 rebel TMC MPs said they will form a separate bloc and support the BJP-led NDA, leaving the TMC with just nine MPs. Three of the party’s Rajya Sabha MPs have resigned.