TMC chief Mamata Banerjee with nephew Abhishek Banerjee (PTI photo/file)

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) dissolved all its committees, frontal organizations in West Bengal on Wednesday after rebel Rathindra Bose met the Governor with a letter of support from around 60 MLAs, in what is being seen as a major crisis in the party founded by Mamata Banerjee.The party said it would conduct “comprehensive introspection, performance review, organizational assessment at every level. The organizational structure of the parent body, all frontal wings will be restructured and announced at the appropriate time”.The move is being seen as a last-ditch effort to prevent a vertical split in the party, which was decimated by rival BJP in the recently held West Bengal Assembly elections after 15 years of rule.The turmoil intensified on Wednesday as around 60 of the 80 TMC MLAs reached the Assembly for the meeting. The number is significant as it crosses the two-thirds threshold required to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law, raising parallels with the split in the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena against Uddhav Thackeray in 2022.Earlier in the day, regarding West Bengal Assembly LOP nominations, TMC MLA Mustafizur Rahman told news agency ANI: “We don’t know the exact figure… I am hearing from outside that 59 signatures have been received. I am hearing that. I have also signed.”An important political message has been mentioned in the letter submitted to the Assembly Speaker. Mamata Banerjee as party president, suggesting that the rebel camp is mounting its challenge against the current leadership of the legislature party rather than the TMC chief himself.The MLAs have also rejected any role of Abhishek Banerjee in determining the affairs of the legislature party, sources associated with the dissident group told news agency PTI.However, the TMC leadership described the move as an act of betrayal. Senior party leader and MLA Kunal Ghosh argued that any grievance could have been resolved within the organization itself.He told reporters, “If he had any issues, he could have discussed them within the party. Instead, he chose to stab the party in the back.”Terming the rebels and their supporters as “traitors”, Ghosh said the party would face the crisis and remain united under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee.The origins of Wednesday’s protest can be traced to the meeting of newly elected MLAs at Mamata Banerjee’s residence on May 6. During the meeting, the MLAs are understood to have authorized the party leadership to take a decision on the appointments of the leader of the opposition, deputy leaders and the chief whip.Subsequently, the TMC informed the Assembly that Sovandeb Chattopadhyay will serve as the leader of the opposition, while Nayana Bandyopadhyay and Ashima Patra will be the deputy leaders and Firhad Hakim will take charge as the chief whip.However, the Assembly Secretariat did not act on the communication, pointing to procedural rules requiring such office-bearers to be elected at a formal meeting of the legislature party.Tension escalated further when dissident MLAs alleged that their signatures were misused in communications sent to the Assembly Secretariat. The party leadership denied the accusation and countered that the rebels were attempting to weaken the organization after the electoral setback.The standoff intensified with Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha being expelled from the party earlier this week.In the developments, Ritabrata Banerjee, expelled by the party leadership, has emerged as the most prominent face of the rebellion. The presence of veteran leader Javed Khan, considered a close loyalist of Mamata Banerjee since the early days of the party, has further strengthened the political position of the disgruntled camp.The development has also sparked a wide-ranging debate on control over the opposition’s place in the Assembly. While the support of only 30 MLAs is required to secure the post of Leader of the Opposition, the bigger battle now seems to center on the legitimacy and control of the legislature party.