On Friday, as Mamata Banerjee and party leaders contacted lawmakers to maintain unity, none of the 60 dissenting MLAs joined a meeting at her residence. Twenty of the 28 Trinamool Congress MPs, headed by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, informed Speaker Om Birla of their intent to align with the BJP-led NDA and end association with the Trinamool parliamentary group under Abhishek Banerjee. The choice followed discussions at the Delhi home of Union Minister Bhupender Yadav. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, present in Delhi, also met the MPs there. Rebel MP Sharmila Sarkar stated they aim to sit separately, respect Banerjee, and support Bengal’s development under the new bloc.
