Dissent that began in Kolkata has now spread to Delhi. After a poor election performance and loss of control over her legislative group, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee reached the national capital on a cloudy Sunday morning. The weather appeared to mirror the political difficulties she faced on Monday while attending an INDIA bloc meeting at the Constitution Club. As she joined other opposition figures including the Gandhis, signs of trouble within her party emerged. Veteran TMC leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy resigned from his position as Rajya Sabha chief whip after 13 years. A photo then showed Roy meeting privately with five TMC Lok Sabha MPs, suggesting the internal conflict was extending to the parliamentary wing. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s convoy arrived in Delhi and stopped at the home of Union minister Bhupender Yadav, who hosted Adhikari and 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs. This group would require backing from at least 19 of the party’s 28 Lok Sabha members to split without facing anti-defection penalties. While Mamata discussed strategies against the BJP inside the meeting, her party faced growing divisions outside. First-time MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, expelled after the elections, became Leader of the Opposition with support from 59 TMC MLAs and claimed two more had joined. Mamata had rejected his proposal to ally and sideline her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. She made organisational changes to stabilise the party ahead of a possible legal dispute over its symbol. Abhishek Banerjee is no longer the only national general secretary, as Rajya Sabha MPs Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen were also appointed to balance internal power. The conflict that started in Bengal has now reached Delhi, complicating Mamata Banerjee’s visit amid ongoing party instability.
