According to sources, Mamata Banerjee has been named Chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress in the newly constituted body. The development came a day after the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee announced that it had removed Mamata Banerjee from the post of party chief.
Sources told NDTV that the Trinamool Congress supremo submitted the list of the party's new working committee to the Election Commission of India on Monday. The list released by the party bears Monday's date. Sources close to the Kalighat leadership said that Mamata Banerjee forwarded the details to the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi on the same day.
The move is being viewed as a clear indication that Mamata Banerjee continues to exercise firm control over the party machinery despite the growing rebellion.
On the same day, the rebel Trinamool faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee convened a meeting at a luxury hotel in New Town and formed a rival working committee. The developments marked another setback for Mamata Banerjee, with several long-time associates and veteran Trinamool leaders shifting allegiance to the rival camp.
Among the latest leaders to join the rebel faction were Firhad Hakim and Arup Biswas, both considered close associates of Mamata Banerjee. Firhad Hakim, a four-time Member of the Legislative Assembly, had resigned as Mayor of Kolkata two weeks earlier, citing his inability to function following the change in government.
Both leaders attended a key meeting of the rebel camp in Kolkata on Monday, after which rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee announced the removal of Mamata Banerjee from the position of party president.
During the meeting, the rebel faction announced the formation of a 30-member National Working Committee and described it as the legitimate organisational core of what it called the "real" Trinamool Congress.
The dissident group also declared the formation of an All India Trinamool Congress Committee. Arup Roy was named Chairperson, while Firhad Hakim and Arup Biswas were assigned senior responsibilities within the organisation.
Addressing reporters, Ritabrata Banerjee said that a special session of the All India Trinamool Congress had been organised and that the All India Trinamool Congress Committee and the National Working Committee had been constituted through the unanimous election of delegates. He stated that Arup Roy had been elected Chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress.
According to Ritabrata Banerjee, the newly constituted National Working Committee includes Sabina Yasmin, Rathin Ghosh, Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Javed Khan and several others. He added that district committees and district presidents would be announced in the coming days.
The rebel leader maintained that his faction wanted former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to remain associated with the organisation in the capacity of a mentor.
As the internal conflict deepened further, the Trinamool Congress issued show-cause notices to several senior leaders on charges of anti-party activities. Those served notices include Arup Roy, Arup Biswas, Firhad Hakim, Rathin Ghosh, Biplab Mitra, Javed Khan, Snehasis Chakraborty and Sabina Yasmin.
The parallel claims over the party structure and leadership have pushed the Trinamool Congress into one of the most serious organisational crises in its history, with both factions seeking legitimacy and control as the battle for the future of the party intensifies.
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