Politics
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TMC rebel MPs still wait for official status
Hindustan Times··23 Aug
On 23 August 2026, two Trinamool rebel groups still awaited official status from the Speaker and the Election Commission. Ritabrata Banerjee leads 62 legislators in the West Bengal Assembly and wants recognition as the Trinamool Congress. Twenty Lok Sabha MPs under Sudip Bandyopadhyay want a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, a Howrah-based party.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you vote in a West Bengal Assembly seat held by one of the 62, the Election Commission has not yet decided which group is the Trinamool Congress for the symbol.
- Anyone watching Lok Sabha seating should note the 20 MPs already sit apart and have a floor leader and whip, but the merger itself is still under review.
- If you follow only the disqualification talk, those petitions were filed in June and remain with the Speaker; they are not a court finding.
What's Happening
- Abhishek Banerjee has written to Birla asking for an urgent hearing and has said the party may move the Supreme Court if the Speaker does not act.
- Sudip Bandyopadhyay was named NCPI floor leader and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar chief whip after the pre-session meetings.
- Ritabrata Banerjee is already functioning as Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly while the symbol claim stays pending.
Why A Sena Case Sits Over The TMC Split
- The 20 MPs broke away in June after the Assembly election defeat; the Assembly split of about 60 legislators ran on a parallel track.
- On 18 July Birla also allowed six former Sena (UBT) MPs to sit with the Shinde Sena, a step officials now cite as a comparison point.
- The NCPI is a Howrah-based party that the rebel MPs say supports the National Democratic Alliance.
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