Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee has launched a personal outreach campaign to rebel and wavering legislators in a bid to prevent further defections and contain the first major split in the party's 28-year history.
The move comes after a rebel faction led by expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee claimed control of the TMC legislature party in the West Bengal Assembly, with 58 of the party's 80 MLAs backing his appointment as Leader of the Opposition. The claim was subsequently accepted by Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose.
According to party sources, Banerjee has spent the past two days contacting legislators from districts including Howrah, Murshidabad and North Dinajpur, many of whom were seen attending meetings organised by the rebel camp. She has also called a meeting at her Kalighat residence on Friday in an attempt to maintain communication with dissident lawmakers and explore the possibility of reconciliation.
The turnout at the Kalighat meeting is being closely watched as a measure of Banerjee's continuing influence over legislators who have drifted towards the rebel camp.
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The crisis has extended beyond the Assembly, with more than 100 municipal councillors reportedly resigning from the party. Senior leaders fear the unrest could spread to the party's parliamentary ranks as well.
The TMC currently has 28 members in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha. Party leaders have reportedly tasked trusted MPs with reaching out to colleagues and discouraging them from joining what rebels have described as a "new Trinamool".
The concern was amplified by veteran Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who warned that a similar revolt could emerge in Parliament and cautioned that the party risked disintegration if the crisis deepened.
Senior TMC leaders have rallied behind Banerjee. Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay dismissed the rebels, while MP Sougata Roy expressed confidence that the party chief would overcome the challenge.
The rebels, however, insist their disagreement is not with Mamata Banerjee but with the growing influence of her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee. Several dissident MLAs have publicly stated that they want Mamata Banerjee to remain the party's supreme leader.
The crisis erupted a month after the BJP ended the TMC's 15-year rule in West Bengal, forming the government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
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