Ritabrata Banerjee, a former Trinamool Congress leader who was expelled from the party, has been appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. The Speaker, Rathindra Basu, officially handed over the office keys to him. Banerjee claimed that two-thirds of Trinamool’s elected legislators have expressed support for his leadership, with 58 out of 80 MLAs already backing him and two more expected to join.

Banerjee announced that his group will act as a responsible opposition, supporting positive government initiatives while holding the administration accountable. He named Akhruzzaman as chief whip and Javed Ahmed Khan, Sabina Yasmin, Shiuli Saha, and Sandipan Saha as deputy leaders. He also urged Mamata Banerjee to serve as the parliamentary advisor, while noting that his faction has no political ties with Abhishek Banerjee.

The appointment follows internal conflict within Trinamool over the opposition leader nomination, including allegations of forged signatures on a letter supporting Shovandeb Chattopadhyay. Analysts say the development highlights growing divisions within Trinamool and signals new alignments in West Bengal’s opposition politics.