TMC's many battles: Rebel MPs form NDA bloc in Parliament as Assembly fight reaches HC

Mamata Banerjee's fight to retain control of her Trinamool Congress (TMC) moved into the courts on Monday (June 8) even as rebels extended their challenge to Parliament, further eroding her grip on the party she founded nearly three decades ago.

Also read: Jolt to Mamata as TMC split widens; Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claims 20 MPs back NDA

The latest jolt came after dissident TMC lawmakers met Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi and decided to form a separate bloc in Parliament rather than immediately defect to the saffron party, sources said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and former Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb were also present during parts of the meeting, sources said.

The parliamentary move follows an unprecedented revolt inside the Bengal Assembly, where a majority of TMC legislators have already broken ranks with Mamata's leadership and secured recognition for expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of opposition (LoP).

Mamata camp seeks court intervention

On Monday, Mamata's camp sought judicial intervention against that development. Veteran TMC MLA Shovandeb Chattopadhyay approached the Calcutta High Court challenging Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose's decision to recognise Ritabrata as the LoP, a post which had earlier gone to him before several state legislators revolted.

The court agreed to hear the matter on June 11.

The legal battle stems from allegations that signatures of several TMC legislators were forged on documents submitted to the assembly secretariat in support of Shovandeb's candidature for the LoP position.

After some legislators denied signing the documents, the Assembly secretariat lodged a police complaint, and an investigation involving the state's Criminal Investigation Department was launched.

The controversy became the catalyst for a wider rebellion led by Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha.

The dissidents argued that a majority of TMC legislators no longer supported the party leadership's decisions and subsequently elected Ritabrata as their own leader.

Also read: MP Yusuf Pathan not keen as cornered Mamata seeks LS route via Berhampore: Reports

Speaker Bose later recognised the rebel camp after it demonstrated support from 58 legislators, handing the dissidents control of the opposition benches and dealing Mamata her biggest internal setback since she started the TMC.

The rebellion has continued to gather momentum as more voices joined in.

Has ex-Kolkata mayor, a close Mamata aide, dumped her too?

Former Kolkata mayor and senior Trinamool legislator Firhad Hakim met Ritabrata inside the Assembly on Monday, triggering speculation that more MLAs could join the rebel camp. Hakim was long regarded as one of Mamata's closest aides.

While the immediate dispute centres on control of the legislature party, the conflict is rapidly evolving into a wider battle over the future ownership of the TMC itself.

Over the past two weeks, Mamata has moved to dismantle much of the party's organisational structure by dissolving committees across the state.

Party insiders say the move was designed to prevent rival factions from claiming control of district and block-level units and to allow the leadership to rebuild the organisation from scratch.

In another sign of efforts to contain post-election discontent, the party has reassigned some responsibilities previously concentrated around Banerjee's nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, to senior leaders, including Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen.

The rebellion assumed greater significance as it raised questions over the future control of party assets and infrastructure.

Will Mamata lose the twin-flower symbol?

Political observer Debasish Chakravarti says that if the split deepens and competing factions formally stake claim to the TMC, the dispute could eventually reach the Election Commission, opening the possibility of a battle over the party's iconic twin-flower symbol.

The prospect has become more plausible as similar splits in Maharashtra's Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party triggered battles over party names and election symbols.

Also read: A century and counting: List of key TMC leaders arrested in a month of new Bengal regime

That scenario became more imminent as the TMC suffered another split on Monday, this time in Parliament.

The party currently has 28 members in the Lok Sabha following the death of an MP in 2024.

Rebel TMC MPs not immediately in BJP, but in NDA

Rebel lawmakers meeting in New Delhi decided to function as a separate bloc within Parliament while continuing to claim legitimacy as representatives of the "real" TMC. The bloc also decided to be part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

The rebels, however, have decided against immediately joining the BJP, a move that could have exposed them to anti-defection proceedings.

Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar told the media that 20 lawmakers attended the meeting. However, sources told The Federal that some MPs were not physically present in New Delhi but had conveyed their support to the rebel camp.

To avoid anti-defection proceedings, the rebels would need the support of at least two-thirds of the party's Lok Sabha MPs, which is 19 lawmakers.

The splinter group conveyed to the Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla their decision to support the NDA alliance, Dastidar told reporters.

Among others, the group also conveyed that Dastidar remains the party's legitimate chief whip, despite the TMC leadership's decision to replace her with Kalyan Banerjee after the Assembly election defeat last month.

According to people familiar with the rebels' legal strategy, they intend to challenge the procedural validity of that change and refuse to recognise any whip issued by Kalyan.

Also read: Who is Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Trinamool's no-compromise man who quit Rajya Sabha?

The parliamentary rebellion could present a significant challenge to Abhishek's position as leader of the TMC parliamentary party.

The rebels would need the support of at least 15 lawmakers to mount a serious challenge to the existing leadership structure.

Apart from hosting the meeting at Yadav's residence, recent decisions by Bengal's BJP government have fuelled perceptions that the saffron camp is encouraging the rebellion.

In what appears to be a clear indication of official support for the dissident camp, security cover has been upgraded for several rebel TMC legislators, including some who previously faced corruption investigations and were frequently targeted by the BJP when the TMC was in power.

Among those receiving enhanced security is former minister Chandranath Sinha, who had previously been questioned by central agencies in connection with the school recruitment investigation.

Government officials, however, maintained that security decisions are based solely on threat assessments and are unrelated to political developments.

Mahua Moitra blasts TMC rebels, Yusuf Pathan

TMC MP Mahua Moitra lashed out at the rebel MPs in Parliament, calling them "greedy self-serving traitors with yellow-stained pants". In a post on X, she said they won in the 2024 parliamentary elections on the TMC's ticket, and the mandate was not for the NDA. The firebrand leader threw a challenge at them, asking them to resign from their respective seats and contest on the BJP ticket to show "what big heroes" they are.

MPs won in 2024 on TMC ticket. Mandate was NOT for NDA. All the greedy self-serving traitors with yellow-stained pants can please join BJP now- resign your seats & contest on BJP ticket. Let’s see what big heroes you are.

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) June 8, 2026

In another post, she attacked TMC MP Yusuf Pathan over his visit to Delhi, asking whether it was prompted by Union Home Minister Amit Shah's call.

"Have some courage. You played for India. Our district voted you in with a huge margin. Have some shame & some spine," she thundered.

Unusual TMC floor test imminent in Assembly?

Meanwhile, sources familiar with Assembly procedures said that if rival claims over the opposition leadership remain unresolved, Speaker Bose could conduct a floor test to determine which faction commands the support of the majority of TMC legislators.

Also read: TMC's internal turmoil: Is Trinamool headed Shiv Sena way? | Capital Beat

Legal expert Arindam Das said such a vote would be highly unusual because floor tests in India are generally used to determine whether a government enjoys majority support.

If held, it could become one of the first instances in India's parliamentary history where a floor test is used to determine the identity of the recognised opposition rather than the survival of a government.

For Mamata, the coming weeks may determine whether she can regain control of the TMC or whether the post-election rebellion develops into a broader battle over the party's symbol and legacy.