Mamata Banerjee Strikes Back at TMC Rebels, Submits New National Committee List to Election Commission

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee has dealt a blow to dissident moves within the Trinamool Congress, reasserting her authority over the party by reconstituting a new national working committee and submitting its details to the Election Commission.

The list Mamata submitted to the Election Commission identifies her as the chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress. The move comes after several senior leaders who had worked closely with her for years — including Firhad Hakim and Arup Biswas — defected to the rebel camp.

At a meeting of the rebels held at a luxury hotel in Kolkata the previous day, it had been announced that Mamata Banerjee had been removed from the post of party president and that a new 30-member national working committee had been formed under the leadership of Ritabrata Banerjee.

Mamata's new list comes in direct response to this move. The TMC has issued show-cause notices to senior leaders who defected to the rebel faction on charges of anti-party activity — among them Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Arup Roy, Ratin Ghosh, Javed Khan, Sneha Asish Chakraborty and Sabina Yasmin.

While the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee has formed new committees using the party's name and symbol, their efforts have run into further difficulty now that Mamata Banerjee's list has been officially submitted to the Election Commission.

The rebels, who claim that their faction represents the "real" Trinamool Congress, continue to insist that Mamata Banerjee may remain on as the party's adviser. However, the latest developments make clear that Mamata's grip on the party shows no sign of loosening.