India's Election Commission intervenes in Trinamool Congress leadership dispute

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked both factions of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) – the group led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the breakaway faction headed by former minister Ritabrata Banerjee – to submit written responses by 5:30 p.m. on July 6. The request follows the party’s heavy defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, where the TMC fell to just 80 seats after 15 years in power, prompting a leadership battle.

Ritabrata Banerjee claims the backing of 58 to 64 MLAs, enough to avoid disqualification under the anti‑defection law, and says his delegation of ten members received a “patient hearing” from the full bench of the commission. Mamata Banerjee’s camp rejects the legitimacy of the rebel group, noting Ritabrata’s prior expulsion and accusing the ECI of bias, with TMC MP Sougata Roy stating, “These people have no credibility.” The dispute centers on who holds the party’s official signatory rights and organisational control.

The ECI’s involvement marks a rare regulatory step in an internal party conflict, aiming to clarify the lawful representative of the TMC amid its post‑election turbulence.