Rebel TMC MLAs replace Mamata Banerjee as chairperson, pick Arup Roy

In a major move set to further escalate the battle for control of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee on Monday named senior MLA Arup Roy as the chairperson of what it described as the "real" Trinamool Congress, replacing party founder Mamata Banerjee.

The rebel camp also announced the suspension of the party's national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, shortly after unveiling a parallel organisational structure, signalling that its challenge had moved beyond the legislature into the party's organisational hierarchy.

The development came after Leader of the Opposition, Ritabrata Banerjee, and rebel Trinamool MLAs held a separate meeting with former Trinamool councillors, attended by senior leaders Asim Bose, Jui Biswas, Tarak Singh, Ritabrata Banerjee, Sandipan Saha, Firhad Hakim, Javed Khan and Arup Roy, along with former councillors from Kolkata, Murshidabad, Berhampore and several other districts.

Former MLA and current TMC councillor Debasish Kumar said, "Today, during our special session of the AITC, a new All India Committee has been constituted."

The developments underscored the widening split within the Trinamool Congress, with the rebel faction unveiling a parallel organisational structure, appointing Arup Roy as its chairperson and suspending Abhishek Banerjee in a direct challenge to the existing party leadership.

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