Ritabrata Banerjee of the rebel faction was elected Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly on 3 June.
The West Bengal Assembly Secretariat sent notices on Tuesday to 10 legislators associated with the rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). They have been asked to respond within a week.
The notices were sent in response to a disqualification petition filed by the faction led by Mamata Banerjee. Following the petition, the power struggle within the party has now turned into formal proceedings.
These legislators were sent notices
The notices were sent to Leader of the Opposition Ritrabrata Banerjee and nine other legislators. They include Arup Roy, Firhad Hakim, Sandipan Saha, Akhruzzaman Ansari, Shiuli Saha, Sabina Yasmin, Biplab Mitra, Javed Khan and Ratin Ghosh.
The matter came to light late on Tuesday night. Rebel legislator Akhruzzaman Ansari confirmed receiving the notice. He said, “We will discuss the matter within the party. After that, we will respond in time.”
Matter reached Supreme Court just a day earlier
The development came a day after senior TMC MLA Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay filed a petition in the Supreme Court. Chattopadhyay is the candidate for the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly from the faction led by Mamata Banerjee.
He has sought the disqualification of Ritabrata Banerjee and nine other MLAs under the anti-defection law. Chattopadhyay wrote to Assembly Speaker Rathin Bose on 7 July, seeking the disqualification of 10 MLAs.
The matter concerning the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition is already pending before the Calcutta High Court. Chattopadhyay has challenged the Assembly Speaker’s decision to recognise Ritabrata Banerjee for the post.
Ritabrata Banerjee was elected Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly on 3 June 2026.
Ritabrata faction claims support of 65 MLAs
The action under the anti-defection law is linked to the developments that followed Ritabrata Banerjee’s election as Leader of the Opposition. The faction led by Mamata Banerjee had nominated Sovandeb Chattopadhyay for the post. Despite this, Ritabrata Banerjee was elected Leader of the Opposition.
The rebel faction claims to have the support of 65 of TMC’s 80 legislators. It subsequently elected Akhruzzaman Ansari as chief whip and began parallel organisational activities.
This move challenged the authority of the party leadership. Both factions are now also fighting the party leadership in the Assembly over the legitimacy of their position.
The crisis began after TMC’s defeat in the West Bengal Assembly election held in May.
Secretariat has also issued notices to 20 rebel MPs
The confrontation has now reached Parliament as well. Twenty Lok Sabha MPs linked to the rebel faction have left TMC and joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
NCPI is in alliance with the BJP-led NDA. The Lok Sabha Secretariat has also issued notices on petitions seeking the disqualification of these 20 rebel MPs.
These notices were issued after the Supreme Court said it would hear a petition seeking directions to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take an early decision on the disqualification petitions.
The faction led by Mamata Banerjee says the rebel MLAs’ actions amount to defection. Therefore, they should be disqualified from the Assembly.
In Chattopadhyay’s petition filed in the Supreme Court, action has been sought against Ritabrata Banerjee and nine other MLAs. The TMC’s legal team says the MLAs should face consequences for defying the party leadership.
Party leader and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee said that the petition seeks the disqualification of the MLAs on grounds similar to those forming the basis of the ongoing action against the rebel MPs.
Rebel faction calls action political
The rebel faction has described the action as political. It has termed the notice from the Assembly Secretariat a routine procedure.
Rebel faction spokesperson Riju Dutta said, “The Speaker has sought replies from 10 MLAs as part of the routine procedure. We will discuss the matter within the party. After that, we will respond in due course. However, there is no reason for the TMC faction led by Mamata Banerjee to celebrate.”
Dispute also over the party name and election symbol
A dispute over the TMC name and the election symbol featuring two flowers on grass is pending before the Election Commission. Both factions are claiming the party name, election symbol and organisational resources.
The Election Commission held discussions with both sides on Saturday. The commission’s decision is still awaited.
Meanwhile, an MLA from the Mamata Banerjee faction indicated that the selection of 10 MLAs for the initial disqualification proceedings had been made deliberately.
He said the remaining MLAs were being given “some time” to reconsider their position and return to the Mamata Banerjee faction.
He also warned that MLAs who refuse to return could face serious political consequences.
