Mamata Banerjee's Existential Crisis As Trinamool Hits Breaking Point

The split in the Trinamool Congress has passed a critical point, with the West Bengal Assembly Speaker recognising rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition. This development comes just weeks after the party's heavy defeat in the state assembly elections and marks a serious challenge to Mamata Banerjee's control of the party she founded in 1998. 

On Wednesday, Bengal Speaker Rathindra Bose approved Ritabrata Banerjee's position and handed over the keys to the room allotted to the Opposition in the assembly. A group of 58 out of the party's 80 MLAs backed the move. Ritabrata Banerjee, who was expelled from the Trinamool Congress earlier this week, now leads this faction in the assembly.

The decision followed a dispute over the post of Leader of the Opposition. Mamata Banerjee had submitted a letter naming veteran leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the role, along with Nayna Bandopadhyay and Asima Patra as deputy leaders, and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip. 

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Rebel leaders Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha claimed the signatures on that letter were forged. The state's Criminal Investigation Department is examining the matter. Minutes after the Speaker's decision, Firhad Hakim, a close aide of Mamata Banerjee and a prominent minority face within the party, stepped down as Mayor of Kolkata. 

Former state minister Firhad Hakim on Wednesday resigned as the Mayor of Kolkata.
Photo Credit: IANS

Hakim, 67, had served in the post since 2018 and held several ministerial positions in the state government. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has been under Trinamool control since 2010. He had earlier sought permission to resign, citing difficulties after the change in power in Bengal, and received approval from Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the Trinamool Congress dissolved all its committees and frontal organisations with immediate effect, stating that the party needed time for introspection. 

"We would request Mamata Banerjee to be our chief advisor to this opposition front," said Ritabrata Banerjee. He also stated that Abhishek Banerjee had "no connection to the formation of the 18th Assembly of West Bengal."

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The sequence of events echoes the political splits seen earlier in Maharashtra involving the Shiv Sena and NCP, though the context in West Bengal differs. In Maharashtra, the divisions occurred in the context of government formation, with leaders from breakaway factions appointed as Deputy Chief Ministers. The Election Commission later recognised those factions as the original parties and allotted them the name and symbol.

In West Bengal, the BJP holds a strong majority and has said it will not admit Trinamool Congress leaders into its party. The split has therefore occurred within the opposition. A group of 58 MLAs has been recognised as the real Trinamool Congress in the assembly. Trinamool leaders, including Manav Jaiswal, have described the split as engineered by the BJP. 

"Everyone knows what is happening," Jaiswal told NDTV.

Trinamool Congress supremo and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, the party's general secretary, will attend a meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc on June 8 in the national capital.
Photo Credit: IANS

Ritabrata Banerjee had earlier arrived at the assembly claiming support from 59 of the 80 MLAs and asserting that his group represented the real Trinamool Congress, while still naming Mamata Banerjee as its leader in the submitted letter. 

The rebellion has been building since the election defeat. Several leaders have criticised the party over issues including corruption and the handling of the RG Kar rape-murder case. Many attended a meeting convened by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari last week.

Expelled Trinamool MLA Ritabrata Banerjee addresses the media, in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Photo Credit: ANI

The developments leave Mamata Banerjee facing multiple immediate challenges. With the assembly split now formal, Ritabrata Banerjee is positioned to approach the Election Commission, citing his status as Leader of the Opposition, to claim recognition as the authentic Trinamool Congress.

Party sources indicate that further splits in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha could follow in the coming days, which would strengthen the breakaway group's position. Mamata Banerjee's focus has now shifted to efforts to retain the party's name and symbol. Drawing from the Maharashtra precedent, this task appears difficult.

Next week, at Mamata Banerjee's request, a meeting of the INDIA alliance has been called in Delhi. Parties such as the Congress and Samajwadi Party are expected to attend and offer support. It remains uncertain, however, whether unified opposition backing will be enough for her to preserve the Trinamool Congress in its current form.

The rapid collapse of party structures, the loss of the Leader of the Opposition post, and the resignation of a key figure like Firhad Hakim have placed Mamata Banerjee under significant pressure as she seeks to stabilise her political organisation.