Mamata Banerjee was once considered the undisputed titan of West Bengal politics, whose influence spread across the state, even astonishing the Left-wing stalwarts who had ruled it for two decades, but fell from a height, the impact of which has now culminated in her party, the TMC, losing its majority to rebel MLAs led by Ritabrata Banerjee in the state Assembly.
Ritabrata’s accidental meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is believed to have changed the political future of the state. For the BJP, the split within the TMC is a golden opportunity, gained through a well-played political strategy, as seen in other parts of the country, to bolster its power in Parliament, where it expects that a separate bloc of TMC MPs could help pass key constitutional amendments for which the national party falls short of the required numbers.
The dramatic rupture culminated on Wednesday when 58 of the TMC’s 80 MLAs submitted letters to Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose backing expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee as the head of their legislature party and staking claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition. The Speaker subsequently recognised Ritabrata’s claim, effectively handing control of the legislature wing to the rebel faction.
At the centre of the upheaval lies what many party insiders describe as an accidental encounter that altered Bengal’s political trajectory. On May 22, Ritabrata Banerjee met Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Delhi’s Banga Bhavan during what was initially dismissed as a chance interaction. Within less than a fortnight, that seemingly innocuous meeting evolved into a full-blown revolt that has fractured the 28-year-old party founded by Mamata Banerjee in 1998.
For the BJP, the split represents far more than a regional political victory. Party leaders view the fragmentation of the TMC as part of a broader strategic opportunity with implications extending to Parliament. Having already benefited from splits within the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra, BJP leaders believe a divided TMC could eventually yield a separate bloc of MPs willing to extend issue-based support to the NDA government, according to The Indian Express.
Such support assumes significance as the Centre seeks to revive key constitutional measures, including the Delimitation Bill and the proposed One Nation One Election legislation, both of which require substantial parliamentary backing.
BJP leaders privately acknowledge that while they command overwhelming authority in Bengal’s Assembly, the larger political prize lies in strengthening their numbers in Parliament, as per the TIE report.
The rebellion was fuelled by growing resentment among sections of the party over the perceived concentration of authority around Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata’s nephew and the party’s national general secretary.
Complaints over internal functioning, allegations of forged signatures in documents submitted to the Speaker and dissatisfaction over the party’s handling of dissent steadily coalesced into an organised challenge to the leadership.
The crisis intensified after Ritabrata and fellow MLA Sandipan Saha accused party functionaries of forging legislators’ signatures. The controversy triggered a CID probe and galvanised disgruntled legislators, who increasingly rallied behind the dissident camp.
The TMC leadership’s decision to expel Ritabrata and Sandipan on June 1 only accelerated the rebellion, with the rebels launching what they internally described as “Operation Crown Prince”, a direct challenge to Abhishek Banerjee’s growing influence.
For Mamata Banerjee, the rebellion marks an extraordinary reversal of fortune. A leader who built her reputation on defiance, endurance and an instinctive understanding of Bengal’s political mood now faces the first major schism in the party she created.
Whether the rupture remains confined to the Assembly or extends into Parliament may determine not only the future of the TMC but also the balance of power in national politics.