A poet has written about changing relationships in politics:
When power was high, a crowd gathered at the door,
Then one day the chair was empty, the palace deserted.
Now the same crowd is gone, the same companions are strangers.
The reason for recalling this satire written on the seat of power is Mamata Banerjee and her party TMC. The TMC that Mamata Banerjee built, today a large part of that same party has distanced itself from Mamata Banerjee, delivering a major political blow to Didi.
Out of TMC’s 80, 58 rebel MLAs have chosen Ritabrata Banerjee as their leader. Ritabrata claims that 2 more MLAs are also in contact with him, meaning this number could reach 60. As soon as the leader was chosen, Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose recognized the rebel faction and accepted Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition’s cabin inside the Assembly complex has also been allotted to Ritabrata Banerjee. Just two days ago, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandeepan Saha were expelled from TMC for anti-party activities, and today the same person has become the Leader of the Opposition. The other expelled MLA, Sandeepan Saha, has been declared Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
First an electoral defeat, then a rift in the party, and now the seat of the Leader of the Opposition has also slipped from their hands. This time is truly full of challenges for Mamata Banerjee. However, even after becoming the Leader of the Opposition, Ritabrata Banerjee did not let the scent of rebellion come to the forefront. Instead, like a seasoned politician, Ritabrata first thanked CM Subhendu Adhikari. Then he also put forward a proposal for Mamata Banerjee.
Symbols and words hold great importance in politics. By appealing to Mamata Banerjee to become a guide, Ritabrata has opened a path for MLAs associated with Didi. Such a political move can have two outcomes. Either some of the MLAs aligned with Mamata Banerjee will join hands with the rebel faction, or the split in TMC will be halted and an attempt will be made to change the leadership. Ritabrata Banerjee, who has split Mamata’s party after 28 years, also has an interesting political history.
Ritabrata Banerjee’s political career began on the leftist path. He was associated with CPM and even reached the Rajya Sabha. Due to differences with the party leadership, he left CPM in 2017. Then in 2020, Ritabrata joined TMC and also became a Rajya Sabha MP from TMC. Until the 2026 assembly elections, he was chanting the slogan of ‘Mother, Land, People’. The election results brought a major change, and this change also affected Ritabrata Banerjee. Having experienced politics from every angle, Ritabrata Banerjee has now grabbed another new angle.
The distancing of a six-year-old ally and the loss of the Leader of the Opposition’s seat have also stirred unrest within TMC. Firhad Hakim, considered close to Mamata Banerjee, resigned from the post of Kolkata Mayor today. This is the same Firhad Hakim who claimed that no one can defeat him in West Bengal and that if the Muslim population increases, they will rule all of India. Along with Firhad Hakim’s resignation, Mamata Banerjee has also dissolved several party units today. All units except TMC’s parliamentary committee have been dissolved. One reason behind this step could be the fear of the committee falling into the hands of the rebels. Or it is also possible that through this step, Mamata wants to reorganize the party.
However, the relieving thing for Mamata Banerjee is that although the Assembly Speaker has the authority to choose the Leader of the Opposition, only the Election Commission can decide on the rights to the party’s symbol and name. Until the Election Commission makes a decision, Mamata Ban
