Mamata's crisis deepens! 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs back NDA as party splits in Parliament
New Delhi/IBNS: In another major setback for former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, 20 Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MPs have reportedly extended support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), significantly boosting the ruling coalition's strength in Parliament.
The development comes at a time when Mamata Banerjee is in Delhi to attend an INDIA bloc meeting, amid signs of growing unrest within her party following its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
20 TMC MPs back NDA
According to reports, 20 Lok Sabha MPs from the Trinamool Congress held a closed-door meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav's residence in New Delhi.
The MPs subsequently submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla informing him of their decision to support the NDA and requesting seating arrangements alongside members of the ruling alliance.
Letter submitted to Speaker's office
The letter was reportedly submitted by TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar in her capacity as the party's chief whip.
However, Dastidar has already been announced to be replaced by senior parliamentarian Kalyan Banerjee.
As Speaker Om Birla was not in the national capital, the letter was reportedly dropped at his office.
Several prominent MPs among signatories
According to TV9 Bangla, the group of 20 MPs includes Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Sharmila Sarkar, Partha Bhowmik, Arup Chakraborty, Asit Mal, Dev, Rachana Banerjee, Satabdi Roy, June Maliah, Yusuf Pathan, among others.
Their move is being seen as one of the biggest parliamentary rebellions faced by the Trinamool Congress in recent years.
Mamata's numbers shrink
The Trinamool Congress currently has 28 members in the Lok Sabha, including party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
If the reports are accurate, only eight MPs remain firmly aligned with Mamata Banerjee, underscoring the scale of the crisis confronting the party leadership.
Turmoil deepens after Sukhendu Sekhar Roy's resignation
The latest development comes just hours after veteran leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy resigned as a Rajya Sabha MP and primary member of the Trinamool Congress.
Roy accused the party leadership of sidelining several leaders and failing to properly assess public sentiment following the election defeat.
BJP ends 15-year TMC rule
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in West Bengal for the first time, winning 208 seats in the Assembly elections.
The TMC was reduced to 80 seats, bringing an end to Mamata Banerjee's uninterrupted 15-year rule in the state.
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