Internal Dispute Over TMC’s Leadership Structure Escalates

Kolkata, September 12 – A split within the Trinamool Congress grew louder on Saturday when rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee told the media that the party cannot survive as a “family‑run” organization.

Banerjee, who heads a dissenting faction, said the current mode of operation mirrors a private limited company where former chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s personal inclinations dictate every strategic move.

“The party’s policies must emerge from collective discussion, not from a single person’s mercy,” he said after a meeting with the Election Commission at a Delhi democracy institute. While the meeting was scheduled for one hour, it extended to about eighty minutes, during which the commission examined Banerjee’s arguments concerning the party’s name and election symbol.

His group has already supplied most of the documentation sought by the commission and expects the remaining papers shortly. With the nomination cut‑off for the Nandigram and Rajarhat by‑elections approaching on September 16, Banerjee urged the commission to issue a prompt decision.