Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Chandrima Bhattacharya on Saturday said she resigned from all party posts after Mamata Banerjee allegedly blamed her for the takeover of Trinamool Bhavan by the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee. Her exit comes amid an intensifying battle for control of the party, with rival factions staking claim to the Trinamool Congress' leadership, organisation and election symbol.
A day after rebel TMC legislators occupied the party's temporary headquarters in Kolkata, Bhattacharya claimed the former Chief Minister accused her during a phone conversation of handing over the office to the dissident camp. She said the allegation deeply hurt her and ultimately led to her decision to step down. "You saw what happened yesterday. An incident happened at Trinamool Bhavan. After that, Mamata ji spoke to me over phone. She told me, 'You handed over Trinamool Bhavan to them.' This hurt me... There was no need to say this."
Chandrima Bhattacharya submitted her resignation on Saturday, addressing Mamata Banerjee as the former Chief Minister of West Bengal rather than the party's chairperson, signalling the growing divide within the Trinamool Congress following its electoral defeat.
On Friday, the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee occupied Trinamool Bhavan, the party's rented office off Kolkata's Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, claiming it represented the "original TMC".
Speaking after the office takeover, rebel MLA and recognised Chief Whip Md Akhruzzaman said the faction had reached an understanding with the property's owner and would continue operating from the premises. "This has been our office for years. The property's owner said some TMC leaders did not honour the terms and conditions of the old lease. We have told him that we will use three floors of this building from now on."
Although the rebels occupied the office, they did not remove photographs of Mamata Banerjee displayed inside the building. Instead, they installed additional banners naming former minister Arup Roy as the party's chairperson while retaining the Trinamool Congress' twin-flower election symbol. At the same time, Mamata Banerjee’s TMC camp leaders came down to the party office, staked claim over the property and installed a banner with Mamata Banerjee’s image on the entry gate of the building.
The rebel camp has already constituted a parallel National Working Committee, elected Roy as its chairperson, suspended Abhishek Banerjee and approached the Election Commission of India with its own claim over the party's name, symbol and organisational control.
The latest developments come after the rebel legislators were recognised by the West Bengal Assembly Speaker as the principal Opposition in the Assembly, further deepening the split within the Trinamool Congress. Bhattacharya's departure adds to mounting challenges facing Mamata Banerjee's faction as it grapples with defections, competing claims to the party's organisation and an escalating leadership battle in the aftermath of its electoral defeat.
