An unprecedented encounter in New Delhi has snowballed into the most serious internal rupture in the 28-year history of the Trinamool Congress, culminating in a breakaway group of 60 MLAs staking claim to the party’s legislative leadership in West Bengal.
What began as an ‘accidental’ meeting between Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee at the Bengal Bhavan on May 22 has, within 13 days, reshaped the state’s political balance and triggered an open rebellion inside the ruling party.
FROM BENGAL VERDICT TO DELHI POLITICS
The chain of events is said to have begun after the West Bengal Assembly election results on May 4, when internal churn within the TMC became visible. Party meetings reportedly saw declining attendance as unease over leadership dynamics and organisational control grew.
Amid this, tensions within the party were further complicated by long-simmering resentment over internal power structures, including the growing influence of MP Abhishek Banerjee, alongside allegations and controversies that had already begun to strain cohesion inside the organisation.
THE BENGAL BHAVAN MEETING
The turning point came on May 22 in Delhi, when Ritabrata Banerjee, MLA from Uluberia East, and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari crossed paths at the Bengal Bhavan ahead of the CM’s scheduled meetings in the national capital.
Describing the interaction himself, Ritabrata Banerjee said the meeting lasted only a few minutes and was informal in nature.
According to him, Adhikari greeted him and asked about his stay at the guest facility. Banerjee responded that he had come to complete procedural formalities related to vacating his accommodation following administrative requirements. He also said the Chief Minister mentioned that opposition MLAs were being invited to administrative meetings and that he would attend if informed.
The interaction, both sides initially suggested, was routine. But its political implications were quickly amplified in Bengal’s political circles, with speculation about possible realignments within Mamata Banerjee’s party.
RAPID ESCALATION & LEGISLATIVE TAKEOVER
Within days of the Delhi meeting, developments accelerated sharply. Ritabrata Banerjee emerged as the face of a coordinated rebellion within the party, eventually aligning with a group of as many as 60 out of TMC 80 MLAs.
The breakaway faction submitted signatures to the Assembly Speaker, who subsequently granted them recognition and allocated space for the opposition leadership in the legislature.
In a decisive move, the rebel MLAs elected Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition, formally displacing the party’s established legislative leadership structure.
TRINAMOOL IN CRISIS MODE
The development marks the first formal split in the TMC since its formation in 1998 by Mamata Banerjee after breaking away from the Congress.
Within hours of the legislative takeover, the party leadership moved to dissolve all organisational committees and frontal wings across West Bengal, signalling an urgent attempt to regain control amid the escalating crisis.
What began as a brief Delhi encounter has now evolved into a full-scale political realignment in Bengal’s ruling party, one that has exposed deep internal fault lines and left the leadership grappling with its most severe challenge yet.
– Ends
Published By:
Sahil Sinha
Published On:
Jun 4, 2026 12:23 IST
