The dispute comes amid an unprecedented split within the Trinamool Congress following the party's electoral defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the West Bengal Assembly election. More than 60 of the party's 80 Members of the Legislative Assembly broke away from the Mamata Banerjee-led faction and claimed that their bloc represents the real and only Trinamool Congress. The rebellion was further strengthened after more than 20 Trinamool Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha merged with a little-known political organisation in Tripura, pushing the party's founding leader into one of the most challenging political crises of her career.
Asserting their numerical strength, the Ritabrata Banerjee faction took control of the Trinamool headquarters in Kolkata by locking the party office and declaring that they now control the organisation and its properties. In response, Mamata Banerjee announced on Saturday that her residence would serve as the party's temporary headquarters.
In its reply to the Election Commission, the Mamata Banerjee faction challenged the rebels' claim that the All India Trinamool Congress Committee and the National Working Committee had become invalid after 2025 due to the absence of internal organisational elections. Speaking to the media after submitting the response, Trinamool Member of Parliament Kalyan Banerjee dismissed the rebels' argument and stated that the party constitution had been amended to extend the tenure of organisational committees from three years to four years in 2000 and from four years to five years in 2006. He said that the Election Commission had been officially informed of both amendments.
Kalyan Banerjee stated that since the last organisational elections were conducted in 2022, both the All India Trinamool Congress Committee and the National Working Committee will remain valid until 2027. He further argued that the rebel leaders themselves had acknowledged the authority of the existing party leadership by contesting the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election using the Trinamool Congress election symbol. He also pointed out that the nomination papers of the rebel candidates had been signed by Mamata Banerjee.
Questioning the consistency of the rebels' stand, Kalyan Banerjee said that if they believed the party had ceased to exist after 2025, they had no legal basis to contest the election under the party's symbol. He argued that, by their own reasoning, their election would become invalid and said they should resign immediately.
The Mamata Banerjee faction also alleged that the rebels violated the party constitution by convening a "special session" on June 22, during which they reconstituted the organisational structure of the party. According to Kalyan Banerjee, the party constitution requires a structured organisational process beginning with block-level committees, followed by district and state committees, before constituting the All India Trinamool Congress Committee.
He alleged that the rebels bypassed every mandatory procedure, including the issuance of public notices, media notifications, proper circulation of meeting notices, and communication with ex officio members. Describing the exercise as a serious violation of the party constitution, he said the committee formed by the rebels represented "a great fraud on the AITC constitution itself" and termed their actions a "fraudulent practice."
Kalyan Banerjee further accused the rebel faction of attempting to take illegal control of Trinamool Congress offices.
The confrontation before the Election Commission began after the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction met the poll body last week and claimed that it represented the genuine All India Trinamool Congress. In response, the Mamata Banerjee faction informed the Commission that all leaders associated with the rebel group had already been expelled from the party. Following submissions from both sides, the Election Commission directed the rival factions to present their respective claims and counterclaims.
The legal and organisational battle over the identity and control of the All India Trinamool Congress has now entered a crucial phase before the Election Commission. The outcome of the proceedings is expected to determine the legitimacy of the rival factions and could significantly influence the future leadership, organisational control, and political direction of one of West Bengal's most prominent political parties.
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