Ritabrata Banerjee (file photo)

Escalating the crisis within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to a bigger level, expelled party leader Ritabrata Banerjee on Wednesday claimed that Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose has recognized him as the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and accepted the rebel camp’s claim for legislative party status.Addressing a press conference, Banerjee said the rebel faction represented the “real and main opposition” in the assembly and announced a new leadership structure. He named Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha, Sabina Yasmin and Shiuli Saha as deputy leaders of the legislature party.The development comes as 58 rebel MLAs submitted letters of support to the Speaker, easily crossing the two-thirds threshold required under the anti-defection law for the breakaway faction to avoid disqualification. The group has proposed Banerjee as the legislature party leader and Akhruzzaman as the chief whip.In an open challenge to the authority of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the rebels stopped short of directly confronting the former chief minister. Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee said he wants Mamata Banerjee to serve as the chief advisor of the legislature party, while the rebel camp continues to recognize her as the party president.The rebellion, which began after TMC’s defeat in the recent assembly elections, is widely seen as the biggest internal challenge the party has faced since its formation. In response, TMC has dissolved all organizational committees across West Bengal and announced a review of its party structure.

Who is the face of Ritabrata Banerjee? rebellion in tmc?

Ritabrata Banerjee’s emergence as leader of the rebel camp marks another dramatic turn in a political career defined by sharp ideological shifts and frequent clashes with the party establishment.The 46-year-old first rose to prominence as the general secretary of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and was considered one of the most promising young leaders of the Left. In 2014, he entered the Rajya Sabha with the support of CPI(M) and was considered close to senior leaders including Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Sitaram Yechury.However, he was suspended and ultimately expelled from the CPI(M) in 2017 due to allegations of indiscipline and factionalism, bringing an abrupt end to what many in the party saw as a promising political career.After a brief period on the political sidelines, Banerjee moved closer to TMC and formally joined the party in 2020 after the completion of her Rajya Sabha term. Within the party, he quickly regained his influence, leading the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC), securing another Rajya Sabha seat in 2024 and later winning election to the assembly.His rise within the TMC made his role in the current rebellion particularly influential. Banerjee, once seen as part of the party’s inner circle, is now leading the biggest internal challenge the party has faced since its formation, with the rebel camp claiming the support of 58 MLAs and control of the legislature party.“This is perhaps the only prominent politician from Bengal who has been expelled by both CPI(M) and TMC,” quipped a veteran political observer quoted by PTI.The developments have been compared to the 2022 political turmoil in Maharashtra under the leadership of Eknath Shinde, where legislative power became the basis for a challenge to the party leadership.