Mamata Banerjee has struck a defiant note amid a deepening split within the Trinamool Congress, calling party rebels “traitors” and declaring that her political opponents would have to “kill” her if they wanted to stop her. Her remarks came after a large group of party legislators formed a separate faction under Ritabrata Banerjee, while several Lok Sabha members reportedly created another bloc. The developments have triggered a battle over which faction represents the original Trinamool Congress following the party’s defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
Banerjee insisted that the Trinamool Congress symbol would remain with the faction loyal to her, signalling the possibility of a prolonged legal and political dispute between the rival groups. She claimed that those who had left the party were acting under pressure but said she would neither join the rebels nor accept their reported offer of an advisory role. Banerjee also declared that she would not bow to the Bharatiya Janata Party or any other political pressure and maintained that the Trinamool Congress remained firmly opposed to the ruling party.
The former West Bengal chief minister suffered another setback on Saturday when Chandrima Bhattacharya, the party’s state president and one of the senior leaders who had remained loyal to her, resigned and joined the rebel faction. Banerjee said Bhattacharya had previously informed her about the situation and linked the resignation to her son’s earlier decision to join a rival Trinamool group. Bhattacharya’s departure came only weeks after she had been appointed to lead the party’s West Bengal unit.
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The internal conflict intensified after supporters of the rebel faction reportedly took control of the Trinamool Congress office in Kolkata. Responding to the development, Banerjee said the office had been rented and remained under lease until October 2027. She argued that individuals could leave a political party but could not simply take control of its institutional property. Banerjee later announced that the party office at her residence would now function as the main Trinamool Congress headquarters.
Banerjee also questioned how leaders whose nominations she had approved for the 2026 elections could turn against her within two months of the polls. She accused the rebels of moving closer to the BJP, while stressing that the Trinamool Congress’s political ideology remained opposed to the party. Following Bhattacharya’s resignation, Banerjee said she had taken charge of the organisation at both the national and state levels as she sought to retain control amid the growing rebellion.
The exodus reportedly began after the Trinamool Congress and Banerjee suffered defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, with dissenting legislators questioning the party’s leadership and the role of her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee. More than 60 MLAs, over 20 Lok Sabha MPs and at least three Rajya Sabha MPs have reportedly separated from the Banerjee-led faction. The Election Commission has now asked the rival Trinamool groups to submit their claims and counterclaims by 5.30 pm on July 6, setting the stage for a formal battle over the party’s identity and symbol.
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