Rebel Trinamool faction is BJP’s B-team to keep Suvendu in power: Mamata
West Bengal politician Mamata Banerjee has labeled a rebel faction of her Trinamool Congress party as a 'B-team' for the BJP, accusing them of conspiring to keep Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in power. The internal party conflict has intensified as many former loyalists defect to the rebel camp.
Why it matters
The fragmentation of a major regional political party significantly alters the power dynamics and electoral landscape in West Bengal.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) called the arrangement of rebels a “B-team of BJP”, engineerined to keep CM Suvendu Adhikari in power.
Speaking at the annual Martrys Day rally in Kolkata, Ms. Banerjee said that the defections from the Trinamool Congress have been engineered to ensure that Suvendu Adhikari remains in power. She described the rebel TMC MPs as “BJP signboard”.
At least 65 of the 80 MLAs of Trinamool Congress have sided with the rebel camp of Trinamool Congress led by Ritabrata Banerjee. The BJP has support of 208 of the 294 MLAs in the State Assembly
The Ritabrata Banerjee camp of TMC organised a gathering at city’s Mayo Road to mark Martys’ Day and hit back at Ms. Banerjee. They claimed that she favoured Abhishek Banerjee over others during her tenure.
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