The political turmoil in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has deepened over the weekend after Chandrima Bhattacharya, the party’s West Bengal president, resigned from all posts of all party officials and it came as a second blow for party president Mamata Banerjee as the organisation grapples with an increasing internal rift.
Bhattacharya submitted her resignation less than a month after being appointed as the state president in a major organisational reshuffle. She had replaced Subrata Bakshi after Mamata Banerjee dissolved all party committees and reconstituted the organisation on June 3 after the party's poor performance in the Assembly elections.
According to her resignation letter, Chandrima Bhattacharya announced she was stepping down not only as the state president but from every position she currently held within the party.
"I hereby tender my resignation from the post of State President of All India Trinamool Congress... I also hereby resign from all other posts which I hold at present," she wrote.
She also advised the party leadership that she would withdraw herself as the authorised signatory for Trinamool Congress and the various organisations involved in banking. Bhattacharya also resigned as the party’s authorised representative before the Election Commission of India.
She resigned but she ended her letter with a note of respect for Mamata Banerjee, saying she would continue to hold the TMC chief in high esteem.
Shortly after resigning, Chandrima Bhattacharya met leaders of the rebel group led by Ritabrata Banerjee at the West Bengal Assembly, further fuelling speculation of a switch in loyalties within the party.
The rebel camp has emerged as a formidable challenge to Mamata Banerjee's leadership. Ritabrata Banerjee has been named Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly by a majority of the MLAs, despite Mamata Banerjee having picked senior TMC legislator Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the post.
The resignation also drew harsh reactions from the leaders in Mamata Banerjee's ranks. TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh questioned Chandrima Bhattacharya's timing and wondered why she had not resigned earlier while she was in a number of important positions under Mamata's administration. Bhattacharya was one of Mamata Banerjee’s closest and most trusted associates, a former West Bengal minister.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to seize on the developments. The state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said the resignation of Bhattacharya reflected the Trinamool Congress's diminishing political relevance.
"It doesn’t matter anymore which direction the TMC is heading or which faction controls the party. The people of Bengal have already decided that the TMC has lost its political relevance," he said.
Hours after #TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya resigned from the post of state president of TMC, Bhattacharya seen holding a meeting with the TMC rebel camp at the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. pic.twitter.com/0Sr0jw2sfP
— Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) July 4, 2026
The latest resignation comes at the height of Trinamool Congress’s biggest internal crisis. The party has been rocked by a revolt after the defeat in the Assembly elections and most of its politicians are reportedly disarming.
According to party officials, almost 80 MLAs have joined the rebel faction headed by Ritabrata Banerjee. In another blow to the party, around 20 Members of Parliament have also supported the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after merging with the little-known NCPI.
The situation deepened on Friday when rival factions fought for control of Trinamool Bhavan, the party’s headquarters in Kolkata. Rebel leaders took control of the office, changed its locks, put up a new signboard naming Arup Roy as party chairman and declared themselves the “Real TMC” before the Election Commission.
Loyalists of Mamata Banerjee reacted by rushing to the party office and filing police complaints against what they said was an illegal takeover. CRPF and Kolkata Police intensified the situation, with CRPF personnel and Kolkata Police stationed outside Trinamool Bhavan to contain the situation.
In light of senior leaders resigning, MLAs switching allegiance and groups of opposition competing for organisational control, the Trinamool Congress now faces its most serious challenge since it was formed. The next few days are going to be key and the fight for control of the party and its political future will be there.
