• Source:JND

TMC Crisis: The battle for control of the Trinamool Congress has entered a dramatic new phase. Days after a group of rebel Trinamool Congress MPs publicly challenged Mamata Banerjee's leadership and declared themselves the "real Trinamool", the dissident camp has now announced its next move. According to rebel leaders, the 20 dissident MPs in the Lok Sabha are set to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party and extend support to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The development is one of the biggest political setbacks for Mamata Banerjee since the party's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. What initially appeared to be a parliamentary rebellion is rapidly evolving into a full-scale struggle over the ownership, identity, and future of the Trinamool Congress.

Battle for the Trinamool Name and Identity

The rebel MPs have already approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to formalise their separation from the party leadership. However, their ambitions go beyond merely forming a breakaway group. Their ultimate objective is to claim the Trinamool Congress name itself.

In simple terms, the fight is no longer just about leadership, it is about which faction can legally claim to be the authentic Trinamool Congress.

Rebels Cite Two-Thirds Majority to Stake Claim

Soon after the rebel group, led by Kakoli Ghosh, made its move, TMC rebel MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said, "We will merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party... It is a regional party. This is the system. When you leave with 2/3 of the party, you cannot demand the name of that party on the first day itself... In July, we will make a demand to give us Trinamool since we have a 2/3 majority from Trinamool. Then the court will decide..."

He added that it would ultimately be decided in court which faction is the real TMC. The rebel camp believes that its numerical strength in Parliament gives it a strong legal argument. Leaders within the faction are expected to approach the courts and relevant authorities, arguing that a group representing more than two-thirds of the parliamentary wing constitutes the legitimate continuation of the original party.

If pursued, such a claim could trigger a prolonged legal and political battle over the party's name, symbol, and organisational identity.

'AITC is a single, indivisible political party': Abhishek Banerjee

On the other side, Mamata Banerjee's loyalists are preparing for an aggressive defence. They are determined not to allow the party's name, symbol, or political legacy to be taken over by the rebel camp.

Abhishek Banerjee has already written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him not to recognise any separate faction within the party.

"The AITC is a single, indivisible political party. The legislative party in the Lok Sabha derives its very existence from, and remains an emanation of, the political party. There is in law only one AITC, one Leader of the Party in the House, and one Whip, all of whom hold office by authority of the political party and its competent organisational authority. No member or set of members can, by their own volition, carve out a parallel 'group' or 'faction' of the same party and claim independent recognition within the House," he said in the letter.

ALSO READ: 'Will Collaborate With NDA': 20-Member Rebel TMC Faction Merges With Nationalist Citizens' Party, Confirms Kakoli Ghosh

The ongoing TMC crisis is reminiscent of the high-profile political splits that reshaped parties such as the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra, where rival factions battled for control of party names, symbols, and political legitimacy.

What happens next remains uncertain. One major question which arises is whether the rebel MPs genuinely intend to build a long-term political future through the Nationalist Citizens Party or whether the arrangement is merely a temporary vehicle to satisfy anti-defection requirements.

ALSO READ: NDA's Two-Third Majority Dilemma Continues Despite Rajya Sabha Wins, TMC Rebellion In Lok Sabha; What's Numbers Game?

Some political observers are already speculating that, before the next general election, the rebel bloc could eventually merge with the BJP.

 


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