Only 8 TMC MLAs attend Mamata Banerjee meeting as rebellion deepens

Only eight Trinamool Congress MLAs attended a key party meeting at Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence in Kolkata on Friday, days after a large number of legislators skipped another party huddle amid an ongoing rebellion within the party.

The meeting also saw low attendance from the party's Members of Parliament. Of the Trinamool Congress' 28 Lok Sabha MPs, only four were present. Eleven of the party's 13 Rajya Sabha MPs did not attend.

Among those present were Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O'Brien, and Dola Sen. MLAs who attended included Madan Mitra, Beena Mondal, Ashima Patra, Firhad Hakim, Kunal Ghosh, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Biman Banerjee, and Ashok Deb.

Following reports about the low turnout, the Trinamool Congress clarified that the gathering was a National Working Committee meeting and not a meeting of all MPs and MLAs.

The party said several leaders, including Mahua Moitra, Sushmita Dev, Mukul Sangma, and Rajesh Tripathi, who are members of the National Working Committee, joined virtually.

The development comes as the party grapples with a growing internal crisis led by rebel MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, who recently claimed the support of more than two-thirds of the party's legislators.

Speaking earlier on Friday, Ritabrata Banerjee said the number of MLAs backing the rebel camp would continue to rise during the upcoming Assembly session. He also said he had not spoken to any Trinamool MPs over the past week and declined to comment on whether parliamentarians were planning a similar revolt.

Reports have suggested that several rebel legislators may eventually leave the party. Sources have also claimed that a number of Trinamool MPs are in contact with the BJP.

The rebellion has emerged as one of the most serious challenges faced by Mamata Banerjee's party, which has already expelled two MLAs as it attempts to contain the crisis.