All India Trinamool Congress

Our bid for TMC legislature party status got Speaker nod, claims Ritabrata

Expelled TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee on Wednesday said the West Bengal Assembly speaker had accepted the rebel camp's bid to be recognised as the party's legislature wing and urged Mamata Banerjee to serve as its chief adviser. This came after 58 dissident MLAs backed legislator Ritabrata Banerjee, who has been expelled from the TMC, as the leader of the legislature party and conveyed their decision to Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose. The latest development effectively placed the control of the TMC's legislative party in the hands of dissidents and marked the most serious challenge yet to the authority of the party leadership following its defeat in the recent assembly polls. Addressing a press conference in the Assembly after meeting the Speaker, Ritabrata Banerjee said his camp had submitted the signatures of 58 MLAs elected on the TMC symbol and "our claim has been accepted by the Speaker". Claiming that a clear majority of the party's legislators were now behind him, he asser

TMC dissolves its committees in Bengal, announces organisational overhaul

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday dissolved all of its organisational committees in West Bengal and announced a comprehensive review of the party structure, a dramatic move that comes in the backdrop of rebellion by a large section of its legislators. In a statement posted on X, the TMC said that all committees of the party in West Bengal, as well as all of its frontal organisations, stood dissolved with immediate effect. The decision comes hours after dissident TMC MLAs moved the Assembly Speaker seeking recognition as a separate legislature party, deepening the crisis within the organisation following its recent electoral setback. "After careful consideration, it has been decided that all committees of the All India Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, as well as all its frontal organisations, shall stand dissolved with immediate effect," the party said. It said the party would undertake a "comprehensive exercise of introspection, performance review and organisational ...

58 rebel TMC MLAs back Ritabrata Banerjee as legislature party leader

As many as 58 dissident TMC MLAs backed expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of the legislature party and conveyed their decision to West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose on Wednesday, a move that could redraw the opposition's power structure in the House. Sources said that Banerjee, along with fellow rebel MLA Sandipan Saha and several dissident legislators, met the Speaker and submitted letters of support signed by 58 MLAs. They also proposed a new leadership team, naming Banerjee as the legislature party leader, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and Shiuli Saha as deputy leaders, and Raghunathganj MLA Akhruzzaman as the chief whip. Under the anti-defection law, a breakaway faction requires the support of at least two-thirds of a legislature party to avoid disqualification. With the TMC having 80 MLAs in the Assembly, the threshold stands at 54. If the rebel camp's claim is accepted, it would comfortably cross that mark and strengthen its case for recognition as a .

TMC's Abhishek roughed up during visit to post-poll violence-hit Sonarpur

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was roughed up on Saturday, allegedly by locals, when he visited West Bengal's Sonarpur area to meet families of post-poll violence victims, police said. Stones, shoes and eggs were hurled at the MP by unidentified people who even attempted to rain blows and kicks on him, while they shouted 'thief, thief' slogans at Banerjee. Television visuals from the spot showed Banerjee being escorted out of the area wearing a helmet, with his shirt torn during the commotion. "Look what they have done to me. This was pre-planned. There is no police in the area. They want to kill me. I will not leave this place till police send their force and offer protection to the victims' families," Banerjee said while meeting the kin of a deceased post-poll violence victim. Local women, holding broomsticks and bamboo sticks, gathered outside the house of the TMC party worker where Banerjee visited. Questioning the purpose of his visit, they raised slogans ..

TMC''s Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resigns from all party posts

Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resigned from all organisational posts of the Trinamool Congress on Wednesday, days after publicly airing her disappointment with the party leadership. The move came a day after she attended Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's administrative review meeting in Kalyani despite her party allegedly instructing her not to participate in it. Dastidar was the national president of the TMC's women's wing and was associated with the party's "Banga Janani" programme. She, however, continues as the MP of the Barasat Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. In a letter addressed to TMC state president Subrata Bakshi, the four-term Barasat MP resigned from all organisational responsibilities in the party, sources said. They said that she has informed the party that she could no longer continue with these responsibilities. The development is likely to deepen speculation over the evolving equations within the TMC, following its electoral setback and a string of pub

Suvendu claims 3 million women under TMC's cash transfer scheme ineligible

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said that around 30 lakh beneficiaries of 'Lakshmir Bhadar', a financial assistance scheme for women introduced by the previous TMC government, were ineligible as they were either non-Indians or their names were permanently deleted from the voter list. Adhikari introduced a form for the 'Annapurna Bhandar' scheme, as announced by the BJP government to provide Rs 3,000 per month for eligible women in the state. Addressing a press conference at the state administrative headquarters, Nabanna, Adhikari said "approximately 30 lakh beneficiaries" were receiving Lakshmir Bhandar assistance despite being ineligible as their names had been permanently deleted from the voter list, or they had not applied to a SIR-linked tribunal or for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) for inclusion. He said that the CAA applicants and those who have appealed to an SIR-linked tribunal after adjudication for entry on the voter list ..

Messi tour organiser files complaint against ex-Bengal min Aroop Biswas

Lionel Messi tour organiser, Satadru Dutta, lodged a police complaint against TMC leader and former West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas and three others, including the state's former top cop, alleging they were responsible for the chaos that unfolded at the Salt Lake stadium last December and that he was made a "scapegoat" out of it. Dutta lodged the complaint at the Bidhannagar South police station on Monday evening, in which he also named former DGP and TMC Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Kumar, the minister's kin and Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillor Juin Biswas and I&CA department secretary Shantanu Basu, holding them responsible for the stadium mayhem. The event organiser, who was subsequently arrested and spent 38 days in jail, sought police intervention, alleging unlawful intrusion into restricted security zones of the field, collapse of perimeter control and disruption during the high-profile programme held at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, also known as Salt ...

Suvendu Adhikari slams TMC, says voters denied rights in Diamond Harbour

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday alleged the people of Diamond Harbour have not been able to exercise their voting rights for a decade ever since the local TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee appeared on the state's political scene. Assuring people that the scenario has now changed, he said the May 21 repolling in the Falta Assembly seat, which falls under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, will re-establish voter rights. Addressing a BJP workers' rally in Falta, Adhikari announced a special development package for the Assembly constituency area, over and above the pre-poll promises made by the BJP in its manifesto. In his first political meeting since he became chief minister, Adhikari said, "The Falta repolls will re-establish voter rights where people have not been able to vote for 10 years ever since the nephew (Abhishek Banerjee) arrived on its political scene. "That scenario has now changed. I urge the voters of Falta to elect the BJP candidate by a margi

TMC names Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as LoP in West Bengal assembly

The TMC on Saturday appointed Ballygunge MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of opposition in the West Bengal assembly. In a statement, the party announced that Dhanekhali MLA Asima Patra and Chowrangee legislator Nayna Bandyopadhyay would serve as deputy leaders of the opposition. Kolkata Port MLA Firhad Hakim was appointed chief whip in the assembly. Hakim is also the mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The party said the newly appointed leaders would work "with commitment for the interest of the people of Bengal". BJP swept the assembly elections, winning 207 seats in the 294-member House and forming the government in the state for the first time. The TMC won 80 seats in the elections. Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as chief minister earlier in the day.

Mamata urges opposition parties to form 'joint platform' against BJP

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday appealed to all opposition parties in West Bengal to come together to form a "joint platform" to fight the BJP which came to power in the state after the recently held assembly elections. The former chief minister also called upon the student unions of various affiliations opposed to the BJP and the NGOs to unite against the saffron camp. "I call upon all opposition parties, including the Leftists and the ultra-Left, to come together to form a joint platform against the BJP," Banerjee said, also calling upon national parties to join. The TMC chief said that she will talk with any political party if they want to hold a dialogue with her in this regard. "It is not the time to think the enemy's enemy is my friend, our first enemy is the BJP," she said, while addressing a small gathering in front of her Kalighat residence on Rabindranath Tagore's birth anniversary. She claimed that atrocities were being committed against TMC worke

Abhishek questions Bengal's poll process credibility, accuses EC of bias

Questioning the credibility of the electoral process in the West Bengal assembly polls, senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday accused the Election Commission of acting in a "partisan" manner and alleged large-scale irregularities during the elections won by the BJP. In his first social media post after the declaration of results, Banerjee said the TMC would continue to be a "strong, vocal and uncompromising opposition" both in West Bengal and at the Centre. "Throughout this entire process, we witnessed what we believe was deeply partisan conduct by several government agencies as well as the Election Commission of India," Banerjee said in a post on X. "Democratic institutions that are meant to function impartially appeared compromised, raising serious concerns about the fairness, credibility and transparency of the electoral process in West Bengal," the Diamond Harbour MP wrote. Stating that the TMC fought an extremely difficult election where "nearly 30 lakh genuine voter

Lost cause: Mamata Banerjee's defiance risks stoking lawlessness in Bengal

Ms Banerjee's contention is that the election has not been conducted fairly and that central forces were misused to capture booths and influence the outcome

Bengal Governor dissolves Legislative Assembly after completion of term

West Bengal Governor R N Ravi dissolved the state assembly after its term ended on May 7, formally bringing the Trinamool Congress' 15-year rule to a close

Won't resign, poll results not people's mandate but conspiracy: Mamata

Outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday ruled out stepping down after her party's defeat in the assembly polls, claiming that the verdict was not a genuine public mandate but the result of a conspiracy. Banerjee also alleged that the TMC's contest in the polls was not against the BJP, but against the Election Commission, which worked "for the BJP". "The question of my resignation does not arise, as we were defeated not by a public mandate but by a conspiracy I did not lose, I will not go to Lok Bhavan. They can take action as per constitutional norms," she told a press conference here. Banerjee alleged large-scale irregularities in the counting process, claiming that mandate in nearly 100 seats was "looted" and that counting was deliberately slowed down to demoralise her party. "A black chapter in history has been created," she asserted. The TMC chief accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of undermining people's democratic ...

Suvendu Adhikari's rise: From Mamata loyalist to defeating her twice

Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram in 2021, beat her again in Bhabanipur as the BJP ended the TMC's 15-year rule in Bengal

TMC alleges post-poll violence in West Bengal; BJP denies involvement

Incidents of arson and vandalism at offices of the Trinamool Congress were reported across West Bengal on Monday as BJP workers celebrated their landslide victory in the state. Police said TMC offices in Kolkata's Tollygunge and Kasba, in Baruipur, Kamarhati, Baranagar in the suburbs, and in Howrah and Baharampur in the districts were vandalised by mobs since Monday afternoon. An Election Commission official said strict action will be taken against those involved in the rampage and assault, and reports have been sought from the local police to initiate follow-up action. BJP Leader Rahul Sinha, however, rejected the charge that any of his party's workers were involved in vandalism, saying it might be the handiwork of rival factions within the TMC, who were letting out their frustration at party leaders following the election results. At the Bijoygarh-Netajjnagar area in Tollygunge, the election office of TMC candidate and former minister Aroop Biswas was seen vandalised by a mob. So

'Lotus blooms in West Bengal': PM Modi hails BJP's win in TMC bastion

Counting trends showed the BJP racing past the majority mark in the 294-member Assembly, signalling the end of the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress

'SC asked ECI to implement circular, didn't dismiss TMC plea': Kapil Sibal

In the Supreme Court, we decided not to challenge the circular, instead urged the court to implement the circular, said Kapil Sibal while addressing a press conference

From Singur to welfare: How West Bengal's poll issues evolved since 2006

From industrialisation and land protests to welfare, jobs and corruption, West Bengal's election issues have layered over two decades shaping the 2026 political contest

How TMC sting pushed AIMIM to end alliance with Humayun Kabir before polls

AIMIM withdraws from alliance with Humayun Kabir's AJUP after a TMC sting video alleged controversial remarks and plans to shift minority votes ahead of West Bengal elections