Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress faces major split as MPs defect to BJP

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal is confronting an existential crisis after a wave of defections. Twenty of the party's 28 Lok Sabha MPs have written to Speaker Om Birla seeking to leave the TMC parliamentary group and join the BJP‑led National Democratic Alliance. The move follows a rebellion in the state assembly where 58 of 80 TMC MLAs voted against the party leadership, and a mutiny that saw roughly three‑quarters of its legislators seize control of the legislative wing.

The split comes just weeks after the BJP unseated the TMC in West Bengal, ending the party’s 15‑year rule. Although TMC retained about 40% of the vote and holds 80 state legislators, the defections threaten to breach the two‑thirds threshold required to invoke the anti‑defection law, potentially disqualifying the rebel MPs. Party chief Mamata Banerjee has vowed to contest the challenge, mobilising legal battles and direct appeals to her voter base to stem the loss of members and restore party cohesion.