TMC Split Looming? Mamata Rushes to Delhi Ahead of INDIA Bloc Meeting to Prevent Rebellion Among Her Parliamentary Flock

Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee arrived in New Delhi on Sunday afternoon, just ahead of a crucial Monday meeting of the INDIA bloc. The high-stakes visit comes amid intensifying speculation regarding a potential rebellion and split among the party's members of Parliament, according to the Press Trust of India.

The former West Bengal chief minister was accompanied on her flight by Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen and veteran Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee. The emergency travel underscores a deepening crisis for the party leadership, which is currently grappling with signs that a recent state-level mutiny could now infect its parliamentary wing. TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had already landed in the national capital on Saturday, signaling the urgency of the situation.

Initially, Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek were scheduled to travel together on Sunday. However, the Diamond Harbour MP altered plans to depart a day early, allowing the top leadership to evaluate the internal crisis before pivoting to broader opposition coalition strategies.

The Threat of a Parliamentary Rebellion

High-intensity parleys are expected to dominate Mamata Banerjee's schedule in Delhi as she fights to keep her parliamentary ranks united. Sources familiar with the situation told PTI that active efforts are underway to mobilize support among legislators in both Houses of Parliament. Insiders suggest that a dissident faction could make a decisive move within the next few days.

Providing weight to these reports, rebel TMC MLA Sandipan Saha, who serves as the deputy leader of the party's newly formed legislative wing at the state level, indicated that a similar upheaval is brewing in New Delhi. "A development mirroring the recent state-level split is taking shape within the parliamentary party in New Delhi," Saha told PTI.

To successfully execute a legal split and bypass the strict anti-defection laws, any rebel faction must secure the backing of at least two-thirds of the sitting parliamentary party. Following the recent passing of Basirhat MP Haji Nurul Islam, the TMC currently holds 28 seats in the Lok Sabha. Consequently, a minimum of 19 Lok Sabha MPs would need to defect to escape disqualification. In the Upper House, the party maintains 13 Rajya Sabha seats. According to Republic sources around 20 TMC MPs are in touch with the Rebel group. 

INDIA Bloc Meeting Eclipsed by Internal Turmoil

With Mamata Banerjee, Dola Sen, and Kalyan Banerjee now in Delhi, the top leadership plans to hold rigorous internal assessments to gauge the loyalty of its lawmakers before sitting down with allies. The core objective of the Monday INDIA bloc meeting was to finalize a unified opposition strategy, but those discussions are now heavily overshadowed by the TMC's internal friction.

The timing of this internal rebellion threatens to dilute the opposition alliance's message of solidarity. The crisis follows a major blow in West Bengal, where more than two-thirds of TMC MLAs allegedly broke away from the official legislative wing to form a distinct bloc under expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee. Political analysts view that shift as one of the most severe organizational crises the TMC has faced in recent years.

With rebel voices like Sandipan Saha openly hinting that the political churn in Parliament will copy the formula seen in the state assembly, the pressure on Mamata Banerjee remains immense as the opposition alliance prepares to meet.

Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal Meet Up

Before a big meeting of the opposition groups (called the INDIA alliance), West Bengal leader Mamata Banerjee met with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. They talked about politics and how these different groups can work together. The two big leaders met in Delhi right after Mamata Banerjee arrived in the city for the main meeting.

AAP Says No to the INDIA Bloc Meet

Even though Banerjee and Kejriwal had a good talk, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said they will not go to the bigger group meeting. A top AAP leader named Priyanka Kakkar strongly criticized the Congress party. She made it clear that her party will not stand on the same stage as them.

"The sole purpose of Congress allying with any party is to strengthen themselves, not the country… we cannot join hands with a party that is against the youth of the country. We saw in Tamil Nadu how they backstabbed their alliance in a matter of one day. In direct fights, Congress fails in challenging the BJP… there is no question of an alliance with Congress," Priyanka Kakkar told ANI.

BJP Calls the Alliance a Failure

As the opposition leaders arrived in Delhi, the ruling BJP party quickly said the meeting has no value. BJP MP Saumitra Khan pointed out that these parties fight each other in places like West Bengal, so joining hands does not make sense.

"What value does the Trinamool Congress have in West Bengal? The Trinamool Congress is joining hands with the Congress again. TMC had effectively destroyed the Congress, and now that you’ve joined hands with them, who is going to accept it,” Khan said.
 

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