Members of Rebel Trinamool Faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, address the media after meeting the Election Commission in New Delhi on July 02, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has written to both factions of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee, respectively, seeking responses regarding “claims and counter claims” made by them with respect to organisational elections and authorised signatories.
Both sides have been asked to submit their responses by 5:30 p.m. on Monday (July 6, 2026), sources in the ECI said on Thursday (July 2, 2026).
Earlier in the day, a full Bench of the poll body met the rebel faction of the party led by the Uluberia Purba MLA Ritabrata Banerjee.
The Mamata Banerjee side of the party, however, questioned the ECI’s decision to grant an audience to the rebel faction, alleging that the meeting violated the poll body’s own procedures of granting appointments to only authorised signatories of a recognised political party.
“The ECI had informed all parties about their rule where only authorised representatives of parties can request a meeting with a full Bench of the ECI. We have not asked for any meeting. On what grounds is the ECI meeting the breakaway MLAs of the party? We decide who represents our party. Gyanesh Kumar (Chief Election Commissioner) has no role or power to decide for us,” TMC MP Saugata Roy told media persons.
After the meeting with the ECI, Mr. Ritabrata Banerjee said the 10-member delegation led by him had formally placed its case before the poll panel, after informing it of the faction’s special organisational session held in Kolkata on June 22.
The Commission gave them a “patient hearing” on their claim over the party, he said, and expressed hope that the poll body would respond shortly
Even as he declined to disclose the documents submitted to the ECI, Mr. Ritabrata Banerjee said the rebel faction had “abided by all rules” while conducting the June 22 organisational session.
“The All India Trinamool Congress had a special session in Kolkata on June 22. Immediately after the session, we formally informed the Election Commission about it in writing. We also met the Election Commission in Kolkata and sought an appointment with the Election Commission of India,” he said, adding that this was part of the prescribed procedure, and that the faction had already completed the process.
Mr. Ritabrata Banerjee reiterated the faction’s claim that it represented the “real” Trinamool Congress.
On June 3, 58 Trinamool Congress MLAs submitted a letter to the West Bengal Assembly Speaker nominating Mr. Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly. This was against the party’s decision to nominate 10-time MLA and veteran leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay to the position on May 20.
On June 22, the “rebel” group removed Ms. Mamata Banerjee, who founded the party in 1998, as the TMC chairperson, appointing their own national working committee of the party. On the following day, they moved the ECI to lay claim to the party name and symbol.
The group led by Ms. Mamata Banerjee, following a meeting of the TMC’s national working committee on June 20, informed the ECI of the changes made in the party organisation, including the appointment of two joint secretaries — Dola Sena and Derek O’ Brien.
In the Lok Sabha, too, the Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party saw a split, with 20 out of 28 MPs merging into the little-known Nationalist Citizen Party of India.
Published – July 02, 2026 09:47 pm IST
