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Ritabrata Banerjee, who broke away from the TMC following last month’s Assembly election verdict, claimed that he currently enjoys the support of 64 TMC MLAs.
The TMC has been grappling with a major internal revolt since its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. (Source: PTI file)
West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee has dismissed speculation about a possible merger between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress, asserting that the rebel faction within the party has no plans to join the grand old party.
Banerjee, who broke away from the TMC following last month’s Assembly election verdict, claimed that he currently enjoys the support of 64 TMC MLAs.
“The count is currently 64. These MLAs will submit a letter to the Speaker. As far as our legislative party is concerned, we are certainly not joining the Congress,” Banerjee said.
He further claimed that a substantial number of TMC MPs were also not in favour of merging with the Congress.
“More than two-thirds of our MPs are not merging with the Congress either. So, who is merging with whom? As far as we are concerned, the MPs aren’t going, we aren’t going, the municipal representatives aren’t going, the Zilla Parishad members aren’t going and the Panchayat members aren’t going. There is no question of a merger at all,” he added.
Suspended TMC leader Riju Dutta echoed similar sentiments, questioning reports of an impending merger.
“Interesting scenario! The rebel MPs (15+/20) of TMC are not merging or joining hands with Congress. The rebel MLAs (64+/80) are not merging or joining hands with Congress. Then who from TMC is actually merging or joining with Congress?” Dutta wrote in a post on X.
Interesting Scenario!The Rebel MP’s (15+/20) of TMC are NOT merging/joining hands with Congress
The Rebel MLA’s (64+/80) are NOT merging/joining hands with Congress
Then who from TMC are actually merging/joining with Congress??
— ???????????????? ???????????????????? (@RijuDutta_84) June 10, 2026
Also Read | Who Are Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar And Ritabrata Banerjee? The Faces Of TMC’s Growing Rebellion
TMC Rebellion Deepens
The TMC has been grappling with a major internal revolt since its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The party has already witnessed a significant split in both the Assembly and Parliament. Rebel legislators claim the support of 58 MLAs who defied the party leadership and backed Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition instead of the TMC’s official nominee, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay.
In Parliament, 20 rebel TMC MPs have informed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla about the formation of a separate parliamentary bloc under the leadership of Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and have pledged support to the NDA.
The rebellion has dealt a significant blow to Mamata Banerjee’s organisational control over the party and intensified uncertainty over the future of the faction that continues to remain loyal to her.
The churn has also extended to the Rajya Sabha. Of the TMC’s 13 Rajya Sabha MPs, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Sushmita Dev have resigned from both the Upper House and the party.
Also Read | ‘Join Hands With Congress’: Sonia Gandhi Asks Mamata Banerjee To ‘Fight Back’ As Defections Rock TMC
Amid the political turmoil, Mamata Banerjee’s recent meeting with the Congress leadership and her participation in an INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi fuelled speculation about a possible political realignment or merger. However, leaders of the rebel faction have strongly rejected such suggestions.
About the Author
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Chief Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
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