West Bengal TMC rebels secure protection as 20 MPs allegedly back BJP-led alliance

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders in West Bengal are facing a growing internal rebellion. TMC legislator Kunala Ghosh warned that officials who once used Mamata Banerjee’s name to win tickets are now considering a shift to the BJP, calling it a betrayal of voters.

The state government has placed two extra armed guards with each of five rebel TMC MLAs from Birbhum district – Fazlul Haq (Kajal Sheikh), Rajendra Prasad Singh, Mosharraf Hussain, Chandranath Sinha and Bidhan Chandra Majhi – after they supported opposition leader Rituparna Banerjee, citing security concerns.

In Parliament, a separate TMC faction led by MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar says about 20 TMC MPs intend to back the BJP‑led National Democratic Alliance, writing to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to formalise support. The claim aims to meet the two‑thirds majority needed to block the anti‑defection law. Party leadership denies any mass defection and says the MPs remain with TMC.