Sudip Bandyopadhyay Signs Rebel Letter, Meets Union Minister Bhupender Yadav In Delhi As TMC Split Widens

New Delhi: Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay has signed a letter from the party’s dissident camp requesting recognition as a separate parliamentary group within the TMC. The rebel TMC leader's move threatens to further escalate the rift in the party following its setback in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. Sudip Bandyopadhya, who has long been seen as a close aide of Mamata Banerjee, has added political weight to the faction by aligning with the rebels who are openly challenging the central leadership.

According to reports, Bandyopadhyay met Union Minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi alongside rebel MP Shatabdi Roy. The meeting fuelled talk about his switching stance at a moment when dissent inside the TMC was already growing. Reports suggested that though Sudip Bandyopadhyay’s name did not appear on an earlier list of 19 or 20 rebels willing to side with the NDA in the Lok Sabha, his signature on the letter now places him firmly within the breakaway group.

Rebel Leadership And Parliamentary Strategy

Notably, the dissident faction of the TMC has stated that it will meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to seek recognition as the real TMC. Rebel MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia has claimed that 19 of the party’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs are supporting the group. Talking to ANI, he said that all rebel MPs would reach Delhi on Sunday and that a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is scheduled for June 14, a day before the delegation approaches the Speaker. Though he did not confirm a number of 20 for the Speaker's meeting, he said that 19 MPs would be present.

Reports suggested that the breakaway group is being led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who has stated that once recognised, the bloc intends to support the BJP-led NDA in Parliament. Earlier, Dastidar revealed that 20 MPs had formally sought separate seating in the Lok Sabha, a step majorly interpreted as a formal split within the party’s parliamentary wing. The faction’s willingness to align with the NDA is considered a big political move for MPs elected on a Trinamool ticket.

As per reports, top TMC leader and Mamata Banerjee aide Sudip Bandyopadhyay met Union minister Bhupendra Singh on Saturday, with rebel MP Satabdi Roy also in attendance. The meeting drew a sharp response from TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh, who reacted by saying that he has a “history of changing parties”. 

Ghosh added, “Mamata didi gave positions and honour to these people, and this is what these people give in return. Sudip Bandyopadhyay has a history of changing parties...We had said that he is not good and his politics worked only by misleading Mamata didi. I was once suspended by the party for it. Today, it is being proved that what I said that day was correct.”

The rebellion has emerged against the backdrop of mounting friction within the TMC after its disappointing performance in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The results are said to have deepened divisions between senior leaders and the Mamata Banerjee-led central leadership, creating space for the dissident camp to push for a separate identity and a new parliamentary alignment.