Two groups of rebel Trinamool Congress lawmakers who have broken away from Mamata Banerjee's leadership may have to wait longer before their political status and claims over the party are officially settled. One faction consists of 62 legislators in the West Bengal Assembly led by Ritabrata Banerjee, while another group comprises 20 MPs in the Lok Sabha led by Sudip Bandyopadhyay. Both groups have initiated separate efforts to establish their political identity after distancing themselves from the existing TMC leadership.

The Ritabrata Banerjee-led group is seeking recognition as the Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal Assembly. Banerjee, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, has maintained that his faction should be recognised as the legitimate TMC. The Election Commission is yet to take a final decision on the matter. Officials indicated that the recognition process could take time as the poll body examines the competing claims and documents submitted by the factions.

The rebel MPs in Parliament have taken a different route. Nineteen of the 20 MPs submitted a petition to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on June 14, seeking recognition of their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India. The following day, MP Rachana Banerjee submitted a similar communication. The proposed merger has not yet received formal approval, although the MPs were allotted separate seating in the Lok Sabha during the monsoon session.

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Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who has emerged as a prominent face of the rebel MPs, said the Speaker's office had requested additional documents relating to the proposed party, including its registration with the Election Commission, organisational details and records of previous elections contested by it. She said the documents had been submitted and that the party president had also appeared before the Speaker's office. With the monsoon session now over, the rebel MPs are hoping that the Speaker will take a favourable decision on their request.

The dispute over party recognition is also linked to the larger question of electoral symbols, party ownership and assets. The Election Commission has begun the process of freezing the TMC's existing two-flowers symbol while the rival claims are examined. Officials said the outcome could be influenced by a pending Supreme Court case involving the Shiv Sena dispute, particularly the challenge filed by Uddhav Thackeray against the Election Commission's decision recognising the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena. The poll body is closely watching the proceedings before taking decisions in the TMC matter.

Officials believe that the dispute could eventually reach the courts, particularly over the party's name, symbol, ownership and assets. Ritabrata Banerjee has said his faction has submitted all required documents and expressed confidence in the Election Commission's process. For now, however, neither rebel grouping has received the final official recognition it is seeking, leaving the political status of the factions unresolved as the authorities examine their competing claims.

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