Updated: June 16, 2026 1:12:41 PM IST
TMC Live Updates: Former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee leaves AICC President Sonia Gandhi’s residence after meeting her in Delhi earlier this month.
TMC live updates: Trinamool Congress (TMC) founder and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is at a crossroads in her struggle to retain the party as commander-in-chief, with MPs and MLAs vying to lead the party on their own accord after its crushing defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections.
First MLA Ritabrata Banerjee staked claim as leader of opposition in the state assembly with the support of 58 MLAs earlier this month, then Kakoli Ghosh, a Member of Parliament (MP), openly expressed her desire to break away from the support of 19 rebel MPs and support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The group of 20 rebel MPs, which includes stalwarts like Jadavpur MP Sayoni Ghosh, on Sunday moved to consolidate their support to the NDA by writing a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, demanding that the group merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India or NCPI, which was formed in 2022 and contested its last elections in 2023.
TMC crisis key points
-Team Mamata invited by Lok Sabha Speaker: Sources said that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will take any decision in the matter of rebel TMC MPs only after listening to both the sides. News agency ANI quoted sources as saying that the Speaker’s office has also emailed the group of TMC MPs led by Mamata Banerjee. These MPs have been called for a meeting with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Sources said that the Speaker will take any decision related to the rebel group only after the meeting.
-Rebels merge into NCPI: Twenty rebel TMC MLAs told Speaker Om Birla on Sunday that they have merged with a little-known Tripura-based party, strengthening the National Democratic Alliance and setting the stage for one of the biggest defections in India’s parliamentary history, HT previously reported. “We, 20 MPs, have now merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party and will work with the NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” the report quoted rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as saying after the meeting with Birla.
–What is NCPI: Nationalist Citizens Party of India or NCPI, which was formed in 2022 and contested its last elections in 2023. The party currently does not have any MLA anywhere in the country. According to a Lok Sabha official, Birla will now verify the signatures of 20 MPs before approving the merger.
-Mamata and team expressed objection on partition: The rebels’ meeting with Birla came hours after MLAs Sagarika Ghosh and Kirti Azad, both loyal to party chief Mamata Banerjee, met Birla and handed over a letter from TMC’s Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee. The letter said that “division is no longer available under the Tenth Schedule” and TMC is a “single, indivisible political party”.
-Who are the rebel MPs: Former TMC Lok Sabha floor leader Sudip Bandopadhyay, former party chief whip and key rebel face Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, deputy leader Shatabdi Ray, popular filmstars Deepak Adhikari, Sayoni Ghosh and June Maliya were among the 20 rebels. Arup Chakraborty, Parth Bhowmik, cricketer Yusuf Pathan, Sharmila Sarkar, Mala Ray, former Indian football captain Prasun Banerjee, Asit Mal, Khalilur Rahman, Abu Taher Khan, Jagdish Basunia, Kalipada Soren, Mithali Bagh, Bapi Halder and Khalilur Rahman were also present in the meeting.
…read more
First MLA Ritabrata Banerjee staked claim as leader of opposition in the state assembly with the support of 58 MLAs earlier this month, then Kakoli Ghosh, a Member of Parliament (MP), openly expressed her desire to break away from the support of 19 rebel MPs and support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The group of 20 rebel MPs, which includes stalwarts like Jadavpur MP Sayoni Ghosh, on Sunday moved to consolidate their support to the NDA by writing a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, demanding that the group merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India or NCPI, which was formed in 2022 and contested its last elections in 2023.
TMC crisis key points
-Team Mamata invited by Lok Sabha Speaker: Sources said that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will take any decision in the matter of rebel TMC MPs only after listening to both the sides. News agency ANI quoted sources as saying that the Speaker’s office has also emailed the group of TMC MPs led by Mamata Banerjee. These MPs have been called for a meeting with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Sources said that the Speaker will take any decision related to the rebel group only after the meeting.
-Rebels merge into NCPI: Twenty rebel TMC MLAs told Speaker Om Birla on Sunday that they have merged with a little-known Tripura-based party, strengthening the National Democratic Alliance and setting the stage for one of the biggest defections in India’s parliamentary history, HT previously reported. “We, 20 MPs, have now merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party and will work with the NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” the report quoted rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as saying after the meeting with Birla.
–What is NCPI: Nationalist Citizens Party of India or NCPI, which was formed in 2022 and contested its last elections in 2023. The party currently does not have any MLA anywhere in the country. According to a Lok Sabha official, Birla will now verify the signatures of 20 MPs before approving the merger.
-Mamata and team expressed objection on partition: The rebels’ meeting with Birla came hours after MLAs Sagarika Ghosh and Kirti Azad, both loyal to party chief Mamata Banerjee, met Birla and handed over a letter from TMC’s Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee. The letter said that “division is no longer available under the Tenth Schedule” and TMC is a “single, indivisible political party”.
-Who are the rebel MPs: Former TMC Lok Sabha floor leader Sudip Bandopadhyay, former party chief whip and key rebel face Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, deputy leader Shatabdi Ray, popular filmstars Deepak Adhikari, Sayoni Ghosh and June Maliya were among the 20 rebels. Arup Chakraborty, Parth Bhowmik, cricketer Yusuf Pathan, Sharmila Sarkar, Mala Ray, former Indian football captain Prasun Banerjee, Asit Mal, Khalilur Rahman, Abu Taher Khan, Jagdish Basunia, Kalipada Soren, Mithali Bagh, Bapi Halder and Khalilur Rahman were also present in the meeting.
Follow all updates here:
June 16, 2026 1:12:41 pm First
TMC Live Updates: MLAs revolt, MPs divided. TMC crisis explained in 5 points
TMC Live Updates: Trinamool Congress (TMC) founder and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is facing continuous setbacks after her crushing defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently concluded assembly elections.
First MLA Ritabrata Banerjee staked claim as leader of opposition in the state assembly with the support of 58 MLAs earlier this month, then Kakoli Ghosh, a Member of Parliament (MP), openly expressed her desire to break away from the support of 19 rebel MPs and support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
5 points explaining TMC crisis
1 – The identity crisis for TMC began when it lost the assembly elections last month to the BJP, which formed its first government in the eastern state. A few weeks after the election results, 59 MLAs formed a separate faction, with Ritabrata Banerjee becoming the leader of the opposition in the assembly.
2 – Days after the MLA faction broke ranks, prominent TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh resigned from all party posts and expressed her dissent after being removed from the post of chief whip.
On June 3 – 8, some TMC MPs, including Kakoli Ghosh, met for two hours at the house of Union Minister and BJP observer for Bengal elections Bhupendra Yadav. In the evening, the group met again at the residence of four-time Birbhum MP Shatabdi Roy, as HT had earlier reported. The HT report, quoting officials aware of the developments, said that the CM and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari were present in both the meetings of the rebel TMC MPs.
4 – Kakoli Ghosh offered support to the NDA after that meeting, saying that she had the support of 19 MPs – the number required to avoid the anti-defection law and losing House membership because of it.
5 – On Sunday, a group of 20 rebel MPs, including stalwarts like Jadavpur MP Sayoni Ghosh, moved to consolidate their support to the NDA by writing a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday, demanding that the group merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India or NCPI, which was formed in 2022 and contested its last elections in 2023. The Chairman has not yet taken a decision on accepting the merger.
June 16, 2026 12:54:16 pm First
TMC Live Updates: What to know about the rebellion of TMC MPs
TMC LIVE UPDATES: At least 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs told Speaker Om Birla on Sunday that they have merged with the little-known Tripura-based party, strengthening the National Democratic Alliance and setting the stage for one of the biggest defection in India’s parliamentary history.
At least 20 TMC MLAs met Birla on Sunday and submitted a letter stating that the rebel group has merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India or NCPI, which was formed in 2022 and fought its last elections in 2023.
At present the party does not have any MLA anywhere in the country. According to a Lok Sabha official, Birla will now verify the signatures of 20 MPs before approving the merger.
“We, 20 MPs, have now merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party and will work with the NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” said rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who resigned from party posts last month after a meeting with Birla.
The rebels’ meeting with Birla came hours after MLAs Sagarika Ghosh and Kirti Azad, both loyal to party chief Mamata Banerjee, met Birla and handed over a letter from TMC’s Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee. The letter said that “division is no longer available under the Tenth Schedule” and TMC is a “single, indivisible political party”. Read full HT report Here
June 16, 2026 12:48:28 pm First
TMC Live Updates: Mamata is at a crossroads in the struggle to keep the party under her control
TMC Live Updates: Trinamool Congress (TMC) founder and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is at the crossroads in her struggle to retain the party as commander in chief, with MPs and MLAs vying to lead the party on their own accord after its crushing defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections.
First MLA Ritabrata Banerjee staked claim as leader of opposition in the state assembly with the support of 58 MLAs earlier this month, then Kakoli Ghosh, a Member of Parliament (MP), openly expressed her desire to break away from the support of 19 rebel MPs and support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The group of 20 rebel MPs, which includes stalwarts like Jadavpur MP Sayoni Ghosh, on Sunday moved to consolidate their support to the NDA by writing a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, demanding that the group merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India or NCPI, which was formed in 2022 and contested its last elections in 2023.
