Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is facing her biggest challenge yet in keeping her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), together after losing the state to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent assembly elections.
With MLAs and MPs breaking rank, Mamata Banerjee's position as the party leader is under threat. Former MLA Ritabrata Banerjee has staked his claim as the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, while MP Kakoli Ghosh has openly expressed her wish to split away from the party and support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The TMC crisis has taken a fresh turn with the CID visiting Mamata Banerjee's residence in Kolkata. Meanwhile, senior leaders holding key mayoral positions have resigned, and at least 14 lawmakers, led by TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh, met in Delhi to discuss breaking away from the party.
The rebel TMC parliamentarians met at the residence of Union minister Bhupender Yadav and later at the residence of four-time Birbhum MP Shatabdi Roy. They have decided to support the NDA for Bengal's development and have decided to write to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to formally support the NDA.
A fresh setback came for the TMC on Monday when party leader Jahangir Khan was arrested near the India-Nepal border in connection with an extortion case.
