TMC Removes Rebel MPs from Key Posts as Internal Rift Deepens

Kolkata, June 2026 : Amid growing signs of rebellion within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha, the party leadership on Saturday removed two Lok Sabha members from important organisational positions in a move widely seen as an attempt to contain internal dissent.

The most notable action was the removal of four-time TMC MP from Kolkata (Uttar), Sudip Bandopadhyay, from the post of party president for the Kolkata (Uttar) Assembly constituency. The development came just hours after reports emerged that Bandopadhyay was seen travelling in Delhi with fellow rebel MP Satabdi Roy and heading to the residence of senior BJP leader and Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav.

The timing of the decision has fueled speculation about widening cracks within the ruling party following the recent Assembly election results in West Bengal. Bandopadhyay, a veteran parliamentarian and long-time Trinamool leader, has been replaced by journalist-turned-politician and TMC legislator Kunal Ghosh.

Kunal Ghosh is considered among the few senior leaders who continue to remain firmly aligned with former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and party General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee during the ongoing political turbulence.

In another significant organisational reshuffle, first-time TMC MP from Jadavpur and actress-turned-politician Sayoni Ghosh was removed from her position as president of the party’s youth wing. Sayoni, who has reportedly joined the rebel camp, was replaced by Arnab Mukherjee.

The twin decisions indicate that the Trinamool leadership is taking a firm stance against leaders perceived to be distancing themselves from the party’s central leadership.

Meanwhile, the crisis within the Trinamool Congress deepened further after veteran party leader and former West Bengal minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia announced his decision to quit the party. Bhunia, who lost the recently concluded Assembly election from his native Sabang constituency in West Midnapore district, said the current political environment within the party offered little scope for meaningful work.

“In the present circumstances, there is no opportunity to work for the Trinamool Congress. Therefore, I have decided to leave the party,” Bhunia said, while making it clear that he would remain active in public life and politics.

He added that politics and social service have always been integral parts of his life and that he would announce his future course of action in the coming days.

In a brief resignation letter addressed to Mamata Banerjee, Bhunia formally stepped down from the party’s primary membership, requesting that his resignation be accepted.

The latest developments underscore the intensifying factionalism within the Trinamool Congress, as defections and organisational changes continue to reshape West Bengal’s political landscape ahead of future electoral battles.