Amid internal conflicts in the Trinamool Congress after expelling two legislators, senior BJP leader Tapas Roy’s social media post hinted at the potential downfall of the former ruling party in West Bengal. Roy’s post, released on Tuesday, also referenced the likelihood of a scenario similar to Maharashtra’s Eknath Shinde model in the state. Trinamool Congress is facing turmoil, with Roy suggesting a situation where around 50 Trinamool Congress MLAs might align with the Assembly Speaker, akin to the Maharashtra political landscape.
The current Trinamool Congress Assembly strength stands at 80 members. If, as Roy implied, 50 of these legislators dissociate from the party, they could avoid anti-defection regulations. Roy further suggested that if these 50 rebel MLAs, led by Ritabrata, assert themselves as the dominant secular group within the Trinamool Congress legislative team, their claims could gain acceptance due to their numerical advantage. This could potentially relegate the faction supporting Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee to a minority position.
In such a scenario, the faction backing Mamata Banerjee and her nephew might lose control over the party, possibly even relinquishing rights to the party’s symbol in the future. The growing discord among Trinamool Congress legislators was evident when 60 out of 80 members skipped a meeting at Mamata Banerjee’s residence on May 31, leading to the meeting’s cancellation. With Mamata Banerjee resuming public appearances for the first time post the election defeat, uncertainties loom regarding the internal support for her activism within the party.
