A major political upheaval has emerged in West Bengal as a rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress, calling itself the 'Real Trinamool', announced the removal of Mamata Banerjee from the post of party chairperson. The group also declared the temporary suspension of senior leader Abhishek Banerjee. The decision was made at a meeting held at a hotel in New Town, Kolkata, reportedly attended by 60 legislators and 70 municipal councillors. Arup Roy, an MLA from Howrah, was named the new chairperson.

The rebellion followed the expulsion of Ritabrata Banerjee by Mamata’s leadership for alleged anti-party activities. Ritabrata’s supporters responded by forming a new committee, arguing that the party’s constitution requires reconstitution of the national executive every three years, which they claim was overdue since February 2022. Rebel leaders said the move was necessary to preserve organizational legitimacy and continuity.

Reports indicate the Trinamool Congress is now split into three factions. Rebel MPs plan to approach India’s Supreme Court to claim control over the party’s election symbol, while uncertainty looms over the management of about 1,100 crore rupees in party funds.