Trinamool rebellion reaches Delhi: 20 party MPs plan to form separate block to support NDA

Members of the Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha met at Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav’s residence on 8 June 2026. Photo credit: Special arrangement

An uprising in the Trinamool Congress reached the state capital on Monday (June 8, 2026) and several of its MPs met at the residence of Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party West Bengal observer Bhupendra Yadav.

There are 29 Trinamool Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha and according to those present at the meeting, 20 of them opposed party president Mamata Banerjee and general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The 20 rebel MPs plan to form a separate bloc and support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre.

Barasat Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar becomes the block leader. Dr. Dastidar, who was recently removed as Trinamool chief whip in the Lok Sabha, has started warming up to the BJP. The MP told close sources that she remains Trinamool Congress chief on paper and will submit a letter signed by 20 MPs to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha seeking recognition of the MPs as a separate bloc.

Photos emerging from the meeting showed several Trinamool MPs — Howrah MP Prasun Banerjee, Bankura MP Anup Chakraborty, Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, Bolpur Lok Sabha MP Asit Kumar Mal, Birbhum MP Satabdi Roy, Jhargram MP Kalipada Soren and Bardhaman Sarkara having a meeting at MP Sharma’s residence.

West Bengal CM present in the meeting

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was present at the meeting of rebel Trinamool Congress MPs along with Mr Yadav. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who resigned from the party and the upper house of parliament, was also present at the meeting.

Why is there a rebellion in the Trinamool Congress? | Explained

The meeting of the rebel Lok Sabha MPs was held not far from the gathering at the Constitution Club of India, where Trinamool Chairperson Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee attended the INDIA Bloc meeting.

Later in the day, Mr. Adhikari reached Trinamool MP Satabdi Roy’s residence in the state capital and held a meeting with about 10 MPs from the rebel camp.

“There was no way to raise our grievances in the Trinamool,” says Ritabrata Banerjee

The development comes nearly a week after nearly 60 out of 80 Trinamool Congress MLAs came out in revolt and elected new Leader of Opposition Ritabrat Banerjee. Welcoming the fast-changing developments in Delhi, he said the MLAs and MPs were following a common thought.

Meanwhile, former Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) mayor and Mamata Banerjee’s close aide Firhad Hakim met Ritabrata Banerjee at the West Bengal Assembly on Monday. Mr. Hakim, a Trinamool Congress legislator, recently quit as KMC mayor.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh, weighing in on the political developments, wrote on X: “The Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, who was looking after the West Bengal elections, spent the day poaching. It is the special duty of this minister to catch poachers and prevent poaching and not be one.”

Mamati’s loyalists rallied behind her

Meanwhile, loyalists of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee publicly defended the party president. Trinamool MP from Bardhaman-Durgapur Kirti Azad shared the letter on social media and claimed that Dr. Dastidar’s “removal and appointment of Kalyan Banerjee as Chief Whip was already communicated to the Hon’ble Speaker last month by our Hon’ble Chairperson Mamata Banerjee”. “The question is, how long will the BJP fool the people?” he said.

Krishnanagar Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra said the revolting MPs won the 2024 general elections on a Trinamool ticket. “The mandate was NOT for NDA. All greedy self-serving traitors with yellow stained trousers please join BJP now – give up your seats and contest BJP ticket. Let’s see what great heroes you are,” Ms Moitra posted on social media.

In another post on social media, Ms. Moitra targeted Trinamool’s Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan, alleging that he had rushed to Delhi on the invitation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “Have some guts. You played for India. Our district voted for you by a big margin. Have some shame and some backbone,” she said.

Senior party MPs Sougata Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Mahua Moitra, Kirti Azad, Mahua Moitra and Sudip Banerjee are among the MPs who have backed the Trinamool president even as the party appears to be imploding after the 2026 Assembly election debacle.

Published – 08 Jun 2026 16:35 IST