A new twist has emerged in the Trinamool Congress leadership battle as documents purportedly from MLA meetings surface on social media, prompting rebel Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee to question their authenticity and fueling ongoing signature forgery allegations.
Key Points
- Documents purportedly from TMC MLA meetings on May 6 and May 19 have surfaced, detailing attendance and support for the election of the leader of the opposition.
- Rebel Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee has questioned the authenticity of these documents, suggesting they could be part of an ongoing signature forgery investigation.
- The documents claim 67 MLAs attended the May 6 meeting and 59 attended the May 19 meeting, with some signatures in block letters.
- The controversy adds to the existing bitter split within the TMC following its assembly election defeat, with rival factions challenging each other's legitimacy.
- The CID is already investigating allegations of signature forgery related to documents submitted to the assembly Speaker during the leadership tussle.
A fresh twist emerged in the battle for the leadership of the TMC legislature party on Saturday after documents purportedly relating to two meetings of party MLAs at Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence surfaced on social media, prompting rebel Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee to question their authenticity.
The documents pertain to meetings held on May 6 and May 19 amid the escalating struggle for control of the opposition space in the West Bengal assembly following the TMC's defeat in the 2026 elections.
Details of the Alleged Meetings
According to the records, 67 MLAs attended the May 6 meeting at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street, where signatures of legislators were seen alongside the names of their constituencies and the date.
While most legislators signed in Bengali or English, some names were written in block letters. Among those whose names appeared in block letters were MLAs Subhasis Das, Chandranath Sinha, Dinen Roy and Baharul Islam, according to the documents.
The papers described the May 6 gathering as a meeting convened for the election of the leader of the opposition, deputy leader and chief whip of the TMC legislature party.
The records stated that former Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim presided over the meeting and that the proposal for electing the legislature party leader was unanimously approved by those present.
The documents further claimed that legislators who could not attend had also conveyed their support. Another set of records relating to the May 19 meeting carried signatures of 59 TMC legislators.
Investigation and Reactions
The emergence of the documents comes at a time when the Mamata Banerjee camp and the rebel faction are locked in a fierce contest over the legitimacy of rival claims to the leadership of the party's legislature wing, a battle that has already spilt into the assembly and investigating agencies.
However, the authenticity of these documents couldn't be verified independently.
The controversy centres around allegations that signatures of certain MLAs were forged in documents submitted to the assembly speaker during the tussle over the leadership of the opposition bloc.
MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandeepan Saha had earlier complained to the assembly authorities, alleging forgery, following which the state government entrusted the investigation to the CID.
The agency has already collected handwriting samples from several legislators as part of the probe.
Reacting to the documents, Banerjee said the matter was under investigation and refrained from making detailed comments.
"Handwriting experts can examine the documents. The tower locations of legislators present on those dates can also be verified. The ongoing investigation into the signature forgery allegations will now have more material to examine," he said.
The rebel leader also questioned whether the documents were attendance sheets or nomination papers relating to the election of the leader of the opposition.
"If these were indeed the nomination documents, is this what was submitted before the Speaker? The colour of the first two pages and the third page does not match. Moreover, the third page carries no signatures," Banerjee claimed.
Further Allegations and Political Impact
A rebel TMC MLA, requesting anonymity, claimed that two separate signatures had been taken from legislators during the May 19 meeting.
"One was for attendance. Besides that, signatures had earlier been taken during the May 6 meeting in connection with the election of the leader of the opposition," the MLA claimed.
The latest controversy has added another layer to the bitter split that has engulfed the TMC after its assembly election defeat, with rival camps challenging each other's legitimacy.
The speaker's decision to recognise Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of the opposition has already triggered legal and political challenges from the Mamata Banerjee camp, while the forgery allegations have opened a parallel investigative track.
