10 Get Disqualification Notices, Others Get Time To Return: TMC Rebel Camp Faces New Test

The power struggle within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has entered a crucial new phase, with the West Bengal Assembly Secretariat issuing notices to 10 MLAs aligned with the rebel faction over a disqualification petition filed by the Mamata Banerjee-led camp.

The legislators, including Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, have been given seven days to respond. The other MLAs are Arup Roy, Firhad Hakim, Sandipan Saha, Akhruzzaman Ansari, Shiuli Saha, Sabina Yasmin, Biplab Mitra, Javed Khan and Rathin Ghosh.

The move followed senior TMC MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay's petition seeking their disqualification under the anti-defection law. Chattopadhyay had earlier written to Speaker Rathin Bose alleging that the MLAs had acted against the party's interests.

But the immediate question is why only 10 MLAs have been targeted when the rebel camp claims the backing of 65 of TMC's 80 MLAs.

The answer appears to lie in the Mamata camp's reported strategy. A party MLA has indicated that other rebels are being given time to reconsider their position and return to the faction. This suggests the first petition may be aimed at a specific group rather than representing the final list of legislators facing action.

The rebels have dismissed the notices as routine. Spokesperson Riju Dutta said there was nothing for the Mamata camp to celebrate, while Akhruzzaman Ansari said the MLAs would discuss the matter and reply within the deadline.

The numbers claimed by the rebel camp have also grown over time. It publicly demonstrated support from 58 MLAs in June, later claimed 64 and subsequently 65. However, these figures remain factional claims; the Election Commission is still examining documentary evidence in the parallel dispute over who legitimately controls the TMC.

That dispute makes the anti-defection battle particularly complex. The rebels are not merely claiming numerical strength; they maintain that they represent the legitimate TMC. Meanwhile, the Mamata camp calls their actions defection.

The final battle could therefore extend beyond 10 Assembly seats. It now involves legislative majority, party control, the TMC's name and symbol, and competing court proceedings, with the Election Commission's decision potentially becoming as consequential as the Assembly's eventual action.