The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress faction has announced Sanchita Pradhan (Dey) and Rabiul Alam Chowdhury as its candidates for the upcoming Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly by-elections in West Bengal. This announcement comes amidst a significant split within the TMC, with a rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee also vying for control of the party's name and symbol. The Election Commission is currently deliberating on the claims of both factions, a decision that will critically impact the by-polls scheduled for October 6.
Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, Mamata Banerjee's party's candidate for the Rejinagar by-election, initially announced his withdrawal from the contest due to harassment of workers and symbol unfamiliarity, but retracted his statement within hours after intervention from the party's top leadership and Mamata Banerjee herself, confirming he will now contest the October 6 poll.
Senior Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra has joined the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, resigning from all organisational posts under Mamata Banerjee's leadership while maintaining his Trinamool MLA status. This move significantly bolsters the rebel camp and intensifies the power struggle within the party, coming amidst a municipal recruitment scam investigation involving Mitra's family.
A significant parliamentary revolt within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has emerged, with purported signatures of 19 MPs on a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking recognition as a separate bloc under Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and extending support to the BJP-led NDA.
The BJP has announced Hasirani Rath, mother of slain former aide to Suvendu Adhikari, as its candidate for the Nandigram bypoll, aiming for an emotive campaign. The party also named Sakharav Sarkar for the Rejinagar seat. These bypolls are set against a backdrop of multi-cornered contests and internal TMC disputes, with voting scheduled for October 6.
Mayor Firhad Hakim has distanced himself from notices issued by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to properties allegedly linked to TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, asserting that such matters are handled by the civic body's executive wing.
Amid a significant split within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), two "dissident" MPs, June Maliah and Deepak Adhikari (Dev), along with an MLA, attended an administrative meeting chaired by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. This event follows a major rebellion within the TMC, where 20 Lok Sabha MPs reportedly declared support for the BJP-led NDA as a separate bloc.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested Sainur Molla, the driver involved in transporting victims of the Bhangar bomb blast in West Bengal, bringing the total arrests to three. The agency also conducted extensive searches at eight locations, including those linked to former Trinamool Congress MLA Saokat Molla, a prime suspect, as part of its ongoing investigation into the crude bomb explosion that occurred before the recent state elections.
West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Thursday suspended its Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir, who had triggered a storm with the proposal to build 'Babri Masjid' in Murshidabad district.
The internecine war within the Trinamool Congress took a new turn on Thursday with "party treasurer" Aroop Biswas writing to a bank seeking restrictions on the operation of the party's accounts, citing uncertainty over its legitimate leadership amid rebellions by MLAs and MPs.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and MLA Kunal Ghosh were questioned by the CID in Kolkata regarding alleged signature forgery of MLAs for the Leader of Opposition appointment in the West Bengal Assembly. Banerjee faced a second round of interrogation as investigators were unsatisfied with previous replies, and a face-to-face interrogation with Ghosh is possible. The probe stems from discrepancies found in signatures on documents supporting Sovandeb Chattopadhyay for the post.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has dismissed "baseless" rumours of a possible merger with the Congress, despite recent meetings between TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, which occurred amidst significant internal rebellion within the TMC following its recent electoral defeat in West Bengal.
The West Bengal CID conducted marathon questioning of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and party MLA Kunal Ghosh in connection with an alleged forgery of MLAs' signatures for the appointment of the Leader of Opposition. The leaders faced separate and face-to-face interrogations, with the CID reportedly unsatisfied with previous replies.
Trinamool Congress leader Sabyasachi Dutta, former Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation chairman, has been arrested in West Bengal on charges of extortion and criminal intimidation. The arrest stems from a 2018 complaint by a businessman alleging a demand of over Rs 1 crore. This development follows another recent high-profile arrest of a TMC leader, prompting a state minister to comment on a crackdown on corruption.
Trinamool Congress leader and former Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation chairman, Sabyasachi Dutta, has been arrested in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on charges of extortion and criminal intimidation following a businessman's complaint.
A rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, has taken control of the party's organisational headquarters in Kolkata. This move follows their claim to the party's name and symbol before the Election Commission, intensifying the power struggle with the Mamata Banerjee-led faction. Both sides are now preparing submissions for the Election Commission regarding the party's control.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is facing a severe leadership crisis as former minister Jyoti Priya Mallick resigned from all party organisational posts citing health, and senior North Bengal leader Goutam Deb stepped down as mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, amidst widespread internal rifts and electoral setbacks.
Three former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MPs, including Sushmita Dev and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday and, within hours, were named the saffron party's candidates for the Rajya Sabha bypolls from West Bengal, underlining both their political rehabilitation and the party's calibrated shift in inducting leaders from the erstwhile ruling dispensation.
Police are investigating the mysterious death of Asish Banerjee, former deputy speaker of the West Bengal Assembly and a prominent TMC leader, who was found hanging in a party office with a purported suicide note expressing regret over entering politics and denying corruption.
In a bid to wrest control of the Trinamool Congress, its rebel faction led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee on Monday elected MLA Arup Roy as chairperson, marking the sharpest challenge yet to the authority of party founder Mamata Banerjee.
BJP's Panihati candidate Ratna Debnath faced protests by TMC workers when she visited a booth in the assembly constituency in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district where polling was underway. She also accused the ruling party activists of preventing her from leaving the booth premises, following an altercation with them over an allegation of influencing voters.
West Bengal CID officials visited the state Assembly as part of their ongoing investigation into the alleged forgery of MLAs' signatures for the appointment of the leader of opposition, seeking a crucial party resolution document.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is grappling with a severe internal crisis, evident as rival factions occupied separate sections of the opposition benches during the West Bengal assembly's budget session. This public display of disunity follows the party's defeat in the 2026 assembly elections and ongoing legal challenges over leadership.
'Now if you break the party under the 10th Schedule you have to join another party.' 'You cannot join the NDA as it is not a party. You can only join another party, and that is the BJP.' 'So the question to ask is that these so-called 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs who are parting ways with the TMC, are they ready to join the BJP and accept Narendra Modi as their leader?'
Apart from Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the Barasat MP, those attending the meeting included TMC MLAs Anisur Rahaman Biswas of Deganga, Bina Mondal of Swarupnagar, Mohammad Abdul Matin of Haroa and three more legislators from the Basirhat subdivision of North 24 Parganas district.
Mamata Banerjee is actively trying to prevent further defections from the TMC after a significant split, personally contacting rebel MLAs and deploying MPs for damage control. The crisis, stemming from a challenge to Abhishek Banerjee's influence, sees rebels trying to maintain Mamata's symbolic leadership while consolidating their own position, marking a critical period for the party's future.
Rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee has declared his dissident camp as the 'real Trinamool Congress,' claiming the support of 64 MLAs and a growing number of MPs, and explicitly stating they have no plans to merge with the Congress.
Senior Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee has issued an ultimatum to party chief Mamata Banerjee, asking her to choose between him and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, whom he blames for the party's recent turmoil. This comes as the TMC faces significant internal strife, including multiple Rajya Sabha MP resignations and claims of widespread defection among MLAs and MPs.
A BJP and a Trinamool Congress worker were killed in separate incidents of post-poll violence in West Bengal on Tuesday, police said.
Guha's remark drew a sharp reaction from the BJP, which termed it as an 'insult to the security forces'.
Senior TMC leaders and newly-elected MLAs met at Mamata Banerjee's residence to discuss strategy and allocation of responsibilities following the party's performance in the West Bengal assembly elections.
BJP MLA Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar rape-murder victim, met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and criticised TMC leader Mamata Banerjee over her election loss, linking it to her fight for justice in her daughter's case.
Veteran Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy has suggested that the rebellion within the Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s legislative wing could extend to its Members of Parliament, following an unprecedented revolt by MLAs and the party's recent electoral defeat in West Bengal.
Rebel Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar's son Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar has sent a legal notice to former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and several TMC leaders, including Mahua Moitra, Kalyan Banerjee, Sougata Roy and Sonali Guha, denying allegations that he had sought a party ticket from the Barasat Assembly Constituency.
Three months after winning power in West Bengal, the BJP is confronting a significant political challenge: how to expand and consolidate its presence without adopting the very political culture it campaigned against, particularly concerning the integration of former TMC leaders and the need to curb practices like extortion and intimidation among its own cadres.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has stated that his government has no information regarding alleged post-poll violence, as claimed by the opposition TMC. He assured that action would be taken after verifying any such charges. The statement came in response to allegations raised in the West Bengal assembly by Leader of the Opposition Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay.
A political storm has erupted with the Opposition demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, following reports that two Election Commissioners raised 'expansive red flags' over the Special Intensive Revision of voters' lists, citing issues like name deletions and decisions made without their knowledge.
Senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim has resigned as the mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), citing an inability to function properly. His resignation, approved by Mamata Banerjee, comes amidst significant political turbulence within the TMC following recent election defeats and a wave of councillor resignations, raising questions about the party's urban political structure.
The raids were conducted on Wednesday evening to Thursday morning, he said. There was no objection to the raids by Hossain, a two-time TMC MLA and a businessman.
