Mamata Banerjee Holds Key TMC Meeting After Party's First-Ever Split; Firhad Hakim Also Present
Mamata Banerjee held a key TMC meeting after the party's first split in 28 years, while reaching out to rebel MLAs and launching efforts to prevent further defections.
The Trinamool Congress on Friday held a meeting in her Kalighati residence following the first split in its 28-year history. Firhad Hakim, who resigned as the mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) earlier today was also present in the meeting along withAbhishek Banerjee, Derek O' Berin and Krunal Ghosh.
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Madan Mitra, who was also present in the meeting, said, "Mamata Banerjee is the chairperson of the party. She will give you the details on the subject of the meeting."
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Mamata Reaches Out To Rebels
In an effort to prevent further defections following the first split in the party's 28-year history, Mamata Banerjee has stepped up. She personally reaching out to rebel legislators as the leadership scrambles to contain the fallout from the unprecedented rupture, PTI reported.
According to party sources, Banerjee has spoken over the past two days with several MLAs from districts including Howrah, Murshidabad and North Dinajpur. Many of them were seen attending meetings of the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel camp after 58 legislators wrested control of the TMC legislature party and installed the expelled MLA as Leader of the Opposition.
The outreach reflects an unusual political challenge for Banerjee, who now finds herself trying to retain leaders she once handpicked and mentored within the party.
Sources said she has been speaking to legislators individually and urging them to attend a meeting at her Kalighat residence on Friday. The objective, party insiders said, is to keep communication channels open and assess whether a reconciliation remains possible.
Two Seniors MPs Tasked To Purdue Party Members To Not Join Ritabrata
The damage-control exercise is not limited to the Assembly. Party sources said two senior TMC MPs—one from the Lok Sabha and another from the Rajya Sabha—have been tasked with contacting colleagues and persuading them not to align with the breakaway faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee.
The outreach underscores growing concern within the party that the rebellion could spread beyond the Assembly to Parliament and local bodies if left unchecked.
The crisis marks a dramatic reversal for Mamata Banerjee, who founded the TMC in 1998 and maintained an iron grip over the organisation for nearly three decades without facing a major internal revolt.
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While the dissident camp has framed the split as a challenge to the growing influence of national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, it has simultaneously sought to retain Mamata Banerjee as the party's ideological and symbolic figurehead—a contradiction that has begun to expose tensions within the rebel bloc.
A day after taking control of the legislature party, several rebel MLAs publicly objected to suggestions that Banerjee's role be reduced to that of an adviser.
"We were told the party would continue under Mamata Banerjee's leadership. She is not merely an adviser," rebel MLA Gulshan Mullick told reporters, highlighting the dissidents' attempt to distance themselves from Abhishek Banerjee without severing ties to the party's most influential leader.
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