TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, who has been facing one setback after another following her party's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections last month, is staring at another blow as reportedly at least 20 dissident Trinamool Congress MPs on Monday submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla extending their support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
According to a CNN-News18 report citing sources, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar will lead the breakaway faction.
The regional outfit has been grappling with increasing internal divisions and a series of defections since its loss in the recent Assembly elections, which resulted in West Bengal getting its first BJP-led government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, a former close associate of ex-chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
The latest developments came after Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Shekhar Ray tendered his resignation on Monday. The political churn unfolded just hours after Banerjee reached New Delhi to participate in the INDIA bloc meeting.
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While Banerjee was attending the opposition gathering, nearly 20 MPs, along with Ray, reportedly met at the residence of Union Minister Bhupender Yadav. Adhikari was also present at the meeting.
According to sources, rebel MPs Prasun Banerjee (Howrah), Sharmila Sarkar (Bardhaman Purba), Jagadish Chandra Basunia (Cooch Behar), Arup Chakraborty (Bankura), Kalipada Soren (Jhargram) and Asit Mal (Bolpur) were among those who attended. Sources further indicated that Bapi Haldar, the MP from Mathurapur, joined the meeting later.
Sources also claimed that the dissident lawmakers did not respond to outreach efforts made by fellow MP Abhishek Banerjee.
Significantly, several MPs present at the gathering represent constituencies where the BJP has recently strengthened its electoral position, including Cooch Behar, Bankura and Jhargram. The participation of leaders from north Bengal, Junglemahal and south Bengal suggests that discontent within the party is spread across multiple regions of the state.
