TMC Factional Rift Puts Mamata Banerjee’s Leadership to the Test

Fifty-eight of eighty Trinamool Congress MLAs are now demanding a formal leadership overhaul, challenging the party’s current hierarchy. While the rebel faction insists on installing a thirty-member National Working Committee, they simultaneously attempt to retain Mamata Banerjee as a symbolic mentor to navigate the deepening internal crisis.

Editorial·June 26, 2026·reads: 928

TMC Factional Rift Puts Mamata Banerjee’s Leadership to the Test

Despite the structural pushback, party loyalists remain vocal in the streets. MLA Kunal Ghosh recently gathered supporters in North Kolkata, where crowds braved heavy rain to chant in support of the former Chief Minister. Ghosh framed the dissent as a betrayal, accusing those seeking internal restructuring of abandoning the party after using its banner to secure electoral victories. He further alleged that the BJP is weaponizing legal cases to destabilize the organization during this period of vulnerability.

Mamata Banerjee is not standing idle against the insurrection. She has moved to solidify her legal standing by officially registering herself as the party’s chairperson with the Election Commission. This administrative maneuver serves as a clear counter-signal to the rebel faction, asserting that the party’s executive control remains firmly in her hands rather than with the group pushing for a new committee.