TMC in turmoil as 20 MPs rebel, seek separate seats in Lok Sabha

A major rebellion rocks the Trinamool Congress as 20 MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar seek separate seating in the Lok Sabha. The dissidents, who met with BJP leaders, aim to bypass anti-defection laws after the party's assembly poll defeat.

TMC Faces Rebellion as 20 MPs Seek Separate Seating

Amid hectic political developments and turmoil in Trinamool Congress, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the residence of Trinamool TMC MP Satabdi Roy in the national capital on Monday. Some Trinamool Congress MPs were learnt to be present at her house during the visit by Suvendu Adhikari.

Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Monday escalated the internal crisis within her party by announcing that a faction of 20 MPs has formally requested the Lok Sabha Speaker for separate seating arrangements. "We are 20 MPs who have requested the Speaker for separate seating, and we will be working in conjunction with the Central and State Government for the development of West Bengal," she told ANI.

"We are against the lawlessness, misgovernance and unemployment in the state of West Bengal over the past few years. Things have been getting from bad to worse, and I have been with Mamata Banerjee for 40 years... It is useless to say that just because she is not in power in West Bengal, I have left. It is not that...," she added.

Ghosh alleged that in the last three-four years, the pressure was too much on the government officers to work according to the whims and fancies of certain leadership. "We want to work for the development of the state and for the national interest and the safety and security of the nation. That is why we want to work separately," she said.

Rebel Faction Meets BJP Leaders, Eyes Anti-Defection Loophole

The development comes amid intensifying internal turmoil following the party's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, which saw the state elect its first BJP government. The political rift was starkly visible today as Mamata Banerjee arrived in New Delhi for an INDIA bloc meeting at the Constitution Club.

While Banerjee, national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, and other loyalist senior leaders attended the opposition conclave, a significant faction of rebels took a different path. The dissident MPs, including Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Shekhar Ray, who submitted his resignation earlier on Monday, convened at the Motilal Nehru Marg residence of Union Minister and BJP West Bengal election in-charge Bhupender Yadav. The meeting was also attended by Suvendu Adhikari.

The dissident camp's move appears to be a calculated effort to navigate the legal complexities of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. By securing the support of approximately 20 MPs, the faction appears to have surpassed the two-thirds threshold required under the anti-defection law's merger provision. Should the group be recognised by parliamentary authorities, they could potentially seek protection from disqualification, effectively formalising their shift toward the NDA.

The anti-defection law requires a faction to have at least two-thirds of the party's strength to avoid automatic disqualification. With the TMC holding 28 seats, the rebels only need the support of 19 MPs to make their move legally viable. With Kakoli claiming the support of 20, it appears curtains for the Mamata Banerjee faction.

The unfolding events present the most significant parliamentary challenge yet for the TMC leadership, signalling a volatile new chapter in West Bengal's political landscape.

The party had earlier faced rebellion by its MLAs with expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee stating that 58 TMC legislators have been given recognition in assembly as the opposition group. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)