Out of power, in existential crisis? TMC struggles to contain a split

TMC's split after its poll defeat has weakened Bengal's Opposition, potentially giving the BJP greater political space and a freer hand to push its agenda

A month after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) sweeping victory in the 2026 Assembly polls upended West Bengal politics, the state’s political cauldron remains on the boil. 

For Mamata Banerjee, the defeat has triggered a fight for political survival. About 58 of the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC’s) 80 MLAs have splintered away, forming a breakaway faction that claims to be the legitimate party. Expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, who is leading the splinter group, has been recognised as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly by Speaker Rathindra Bose. There are growing murmurs that party MPs may follow the same route.  

The developments have left Mamata scrambling to hold together the organisation she has built since 1998. For Bengal, the upheaval means a fractured Opposition against a party that now governs both the state and the Centre. 

The unraveling 

On June 3, the post-loss crisis engulfing Mamata’s Trinamool deepened with Banerjee being elevated as the LoP after he secured the support of more than two-thirds of TMC’s MLAs — a threshold required to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.  

A former Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader who was expelled from that party before joining the TMC, Ritabrata has now emerged as the principal challenger to Mamata’s authority. Ostensibly, allegations of forged signatures on a letter proposing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as LoP served as the trigger, which is now being investigated by the state’s criminal investigation department (CID). But the dispute quickly evolved into a broader rebellion against the party leadership. 

The swift turn of events prompted the TMC to look inward for the first time since its shock defeat in the election. The party dissolved all committees and frontal organisations and launched “a comprehensive exercise of introspection, performance review and organisational assessment at every level.” At the National Working Committee meeting on June 5, Mamata sought to rebalance the party’s power structure by appointing senior MPs Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen as joint national secretaries alongside national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The move appeared to acknowledge a key source of mutiny within the TMC, where much of the discontent since the election results has been directed at Abhishek’s leadership and growing sway. 

Ritabrata has ruled out any role for Abhishek in the rebel camp, but has offered Mamata the position of “chief advisor” to the legislative party and organisation — an overture widely seen as an added humiliation. That, however, has emerged as a source of division within the rebel ranks, with many arguing that Mamata should continue as the party supremo. The drama continues to unfold.  

Meanwhile, the TMC is set to move Calcutta High Court on June 8, challenging the Speaker’s decision to recognise Ritabrata as the LoP. Another front in the ongoing political battle is likely to play out in the Parliament, where some rebel MPs are reportedly considering a split. The TMC currently has 28 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha. 

The INDIA bloc meeting on Monday is also being closely watched, with Mamata and Abhishek expected to attend. 

An Opposition in disarray 

The principal Opposition in Bengal is in complete disarray. Political analysts say the unravelling of Mamata’s Trinamool bears the imprint of the BJP, which stands to be the biggest beneficiary of a fragmented and weakened Opposition. 

According to analyst Biswanath Chakraborty, the Opposition in Bengal is unlikely to be effective in carrying out its responsibilities if it remains divided and sections of it are under the BJP’s influence.  

“In parliamentary democracy, the Opposition has a vital role to play. We have seen in other states how the Opposition has failed to effectively discharge its responsibilities,” analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said. He added that the Opposition is unlikely to be effective in Bengal if it remains divided and sections of it are under the BJP’s influence.  

Ritabrata has said the faction led by him would play the role of a “responsible and constructive” Opposition. To some observers, that messaging signals a willingness to align with the ruling party rather than confront it. 

BJP Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya, however, has rejected claims that the ruling party was linked to the TMC’s ongoing disintegration. 

According to Ritabrata, the faction has the backing of 58-60 MLAs — that leaves about 20-odd MLAs with Mamata. 

CPI(M) Bengal secretary Mohammed Salim said: “The BJP wants an Opposition-mukt Bharat and, here, an Opposition-mukt Bengal. It wanted a compromised Opposition and found a match in this faction of the Trinamool.” 

Political observers say the principal Opposition’s preoccupation with its own internal strife could make it easier for the ruling party to push through its agenda with little effective resistance. 

Political dividends 

The BJP’s governance style has come to embody what critics describe as “bulldozer culture” — literally and figuratively. 

From hawker evictions and crackdowns on illegal constructions in certain areas to the implementation of the Animal Slaughter Control Act going back to 1950 and a hard line on infiltration, the party has moved aggressively on multiple fronts. “The impression is that the party is in a hurry to demonstrate tangible results within its first six months in office,” a political analyst said. 

The Left Front, largely marginalised in the Assembly, has instead taken its battles to the streets on many of these issues. The CPI(M) secured just one seat in the Assembly, while the ISF, which had a seat-sharing alliance, won another. 

For most of the past decade, Bengal’s politics has been defined by a binary contest between the TMC and BJP. With the Trinamool now fractured, the Left sees a chance to reclaim political space. “There is growing scope for street politics. We will be the real Opposition,” Salim observed. 

Adding to this confidence is the result from Falta in Diamond Harbour, which went for a repoll. The CPI(M) came second, while the TMC candidate withdrew. “The original binary is Left versus Right. Falta shows that the Opposition space will be taken by the Left,” said Salim. 

Whether the Left can reclaim the main Opposition space remains to be seen. But a political observer argued that the more immediate consequence of a distracted and divided Opposition could be to give the ruling party greater room to advance its industrial and infrastructure agenda, particularly on sensitive issues such as land acquisition. 

On June 6, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari pledged to facilitate land for railway projects that could unlock investments worth ₹1 trillion at a meeting with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The assurance marks a departure from the previous government’s approach, which had largely avoided acquiring land for major projects.

But whichever way one looks at it, the Bengal pot is likely to continue simmering.