Senior leader Madan Mitra joins Trinamool Congress rebel faction
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Senior Trinamool Congress leader and Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra resigned from the party on Wednesday and joined the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee.
Speaking to reporters after joining the rebel camp, Mitra said the Trinamool Congress had become a "fragmented" party. "I have only changed my room, not my house. I am very much in the TMC," he said.
Mitra's resignation comes two weeks after party chief Mamata Banerjee appointed him as the Trinamool Congress' general secretary following the party's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections held in May.
His exit also comes days after Chandrima Bhattacharya stepped down as the party's West Bengal president.
Mitra has been associated with the Trinamool Congress since its formation in 1998 and retained the Kamarhati Assembly seat in the 2026 elections. The BJP won 208 of the 294 Assembly seats to form the government in West Bengal for the first time.
The Trinamool Congress has witnessed a series of setbacks since the election defeat. Mamata Banerjee, who had served as chief minister since 2011, also lost her Assembly seat to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is now the chief minister.
Ritabrata Banerjee later led a split in the party and has claimed the support of 58 Trinamool MLAs. During a special session last month, the rebel group removed Mamata Banerjee as party chairperson and elected Arup Roy to the post. Ritabrata Banerjee was named the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.
The rebel faction has approached the Election Commission seeking recognition as the "real" Trinamool Congress. According to the faction, 20 of the party's 28 Lok Sabha MPs have also broken away and backed the BJP-led NDA after merging with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
