KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced an embarrassing setback after a key party meeting at her Kolkata residence saw very low attendance. Of the party’s 80 MLAs, only eight were present, according to reports.
The poor turnout comes in the wake of the recent West Bengal Assembly election in which the BJP won 208 of 294 seats and formed the government, with senior leader Suvendu Adhikari taking oath as Chief Minister. Trinamool, which had been in power for 15 years, was reduced to 80 seats, and Banerjee’s defeat in her own constituency added to the shock within the party.
Since the loss, signs of rebellion have surfaced within Trinamool. More than 100 councillors in local bodies reportedly resigned, followed by a series of resignations by party functionaries. A recent meeting of newly elected Trinamool MLAs in Kolkata had seen 20 MLAs attend, making the latest drop to eight appear even more stark.
The internal conflict intensified after MLAs Rithaprata Banerjee and Sandeepan Saha, who alleged irregularities in the selection of the party’s Assembly group leader, were expelled. A faction led by Rithaprata later submitted a letter to Speaker Radhindranath Bose with signatures of 60 Trinamool MLAs, following which the Speaker recognised Rithaprata as the Leader of the Opposition.
Attendance from Parliament was also limited at the latest meeting. Reports said only four of the party’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs and two of its 13 Rajya Sabha MPs took part, including Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen. Separately, there were claims that around 20 Trinamool MPs were in direct contact with the BJP and could move as a group, though no official confirmation was cited.
