Rebel TMC MLAs Appoint Arup Roy as New Chairperson

The appointment took place during a special session where delegates unanimously formed a 30-member National Working Committee. This group includes prominent figures such as Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, and Sabina Yasmin, who were named vice presidents. The move follows a sustained revolt by more than half of the party’s 80-member legislative contingent, who previously successfully lobbied to replace Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay with Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.

Internal tensions have now escalated into a legal and financial confrontation. MP Saugata Roy dismissed the new leadership as outsiders, pointing to their political origins in the CPI(M). Meanwhile, the fight for control has shifted to the party’s bank accounts. Former treasurer Aroop Biswas has requested an immediate freeze on all party funds, while the rebel faction has demanded a formal investigation into the organization’s financial history. The crisis is compounded by a separate parliamentary dispute, as 20 TMC MPs recently announced a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, further weakening the party's cohesion in New Delhi.