ECI grants extension to Ritabrata faction to file response till July 10: Sources
New Delhi, July 7
The Election Commission has granted time till July 10 to Trinamool Congress's Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction to file a response regarding conflicting claims over the party's organisational structure and authorised signatories, sources said.
The Ritabrata faction is yet to file their response and has sought a week's time. Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC has already filed their response with the ECI.
Earlier on July 2, the ECI had directed both factions to submit their responses by 5:30 PM on Monday, July 6.
On Monday, senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kalyan Banerjee said the party has submitted a detailed response to the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the ongoing leadership dispute, asserting that the party's National Working Committee remains valid till 2027.
The ECI had officially intervened in the ongoing leadership tussle within the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and sought responses from both Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee regarding conflicting claims over the party's organisational structure and authorised signatories.
The move comes amid a deepening rift within the TMC party, with the faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee claiming legitimacy over the party's symbols and administration.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Election Commission officials, Kalyan Banerjee said that the last elections within the party were held in 2022 and were valid for a five-year period.
"The last election was held in 2022. Therefore, automatically, the life of the AITC and the National Working Committee remains for a period of five years. It will expire in 2027. Therefore, the allegation that its tenure has expired is incorrect and not supported by the constitutional provisions of the All India Trinamool Congress," the TMC MP and advocate said.
The political crisis within the party deepened after at least 58 of the TMC's 80 MLAs broke away from the Mamata Banerjee-led leadership following the Assembly poll defeat. The rebel legislators subsequently backed Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and announced a new 30-member National Working Committee.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As a Bengali, I am watching this closely. Ritabrata Banerjee has a point about the party's internal democracy—if 58 out of 80 MLAs broke away, something is seriously wrong with Mamata Didi's leadership style. But ECI needs to be consistent and not favour one faction. Let evidence decide, not political pressure.
Kalyan Banerjee's argument that the Working Committee is valid till 2027 seems legally sound if elections were held in 2022. But the real question is: who controls the party symbol and bank accounts? ECI should set a clear deadline—this extension gives Ritabrata faction more time to gather support, which could muddy the waters. Keep it transparent.
Honestly, this is just BJP's game to weaken TMC in Bengal. They're pitting one faction against another—classic divide and rule. Mamata Banerjee has stood strong against the Centre's overreach, and now they want to break TMC from inside. ECI should not become a tool for political vendetta. Jai Bangla! 🧡
Interesting to see Indian political drama unfold—a faction claiming the party symbol after losing an election? In any democracy, majority support usually determines leadership. ECI giving extension is procedural, but this constant infighting doesn't help the public interest. Focus on governance, not power struggles.
Whether it's Mamata or Ritabrata, the common people of West Bengal are suffering. This fight over party symbols and signatories
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