The internal power struggle within the Trinamool Congress escalated on Monday as Mamata Banerjee moved to reassert her authority by reconstituting the party’s National Working Committee and submitting the updated list to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
According to sources, the new committee names Mamata Banerjee as Chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), a move widely seen as an attempt to reinforce her position amid an intensifying rebellion within the party.
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The development came a day after a dissident faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee announced that it had removed Mamata Banerjee from the post of party chief. The rebel camp subsequently formed its own National Working Committee during a meeting held in Kolkata and claimed to represent the “real” Trinamool Congress.
The crisis deepened further with several senior leaders joining the dissident camp. Among the prominent names were former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim and senior leader Arup Biswas, both considered long-time associates of Mamata Banerjee. The duo attended the rebel faction’s meeting, where a new 30-member National Working Committee was unveiled.
The dissident group also constituted an All India Trinamool Congress Committee, naming Arup Roy as its chairperson. Other senior leaders, including Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Javed Khan and Sabina Yasmin, were assigned key organisational roles.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Ritabrata Banerjee said delegates had unanimously elected the new leadership and that district-level committees would be announced soon.
Despite challenging Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, the rebel faction stated that it wanted the former chief minister to remain associated with the organisation in a mentor’s role.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress leadership has responded by issuing show-cause notices to several leaders accused of anti-party activities, signalling that the political battle within the party is far from over.
