In a dramatic twist that has plunged West Bengal politics into a deep crisis, Ritabrata Banerjee has emerged as the face of a massive rebellion against Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee.
Once a rising star of the CPI(M), Ritabrata’s political journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. Today, he sits at the absolute center of the biggest political storm of 2026, dealing a severe blow to the TMC leadership by claiming the title of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) with the backing of a majority of the party’s MLAs.
The crisis reached a boiling point on Wednesday when Ritabrata arrived at the West Bengal Assembly flanked by 58 of the TMC’s 80 elected MLAs. The rebel faction submitted a formal letter—notably drafted on a plain white pad rather than official party stationery—demanding that Ritabrata be recognized as the LoP.
The letter named Mamata Banerjee as the organizational party leader, Ritabrata as the LoP, and Seuli Saha, Javed Khan, and Sabina Yeasmin as deputy leaders in the House. In a massive setback for Mamata Banerjee, the Assembly Speaker formally accepted the demand, officially recognizing Ritabrata as the 14th Leader of the Opposition.
This internal coup unfolded just 48 hours after the TMC high command “expelled” Ritabrata and fellow MLA Sandipan Saha for alleged anti-party activities. The rift began when Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari revealed that both MLAs had informed the Speaker that their signatures were forged on a party document endorsing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the LoP post.
Rise and Fall and Rise
Long before he disrupted the TMC, Ritabrata was known as one of the CPI(M)’s brightest young prospects—a rarity in a party historically hesitant to project youth leadership.
However, his rapid ascent unraveled in 2017 due to a mix of internal factionalism and personal controversies:
In 2018, Ritabrata pivoted to the TMC, eventually taking charge of its trade union wing and famously declaring that Mamata Banerjee was the “real Leftist leader.” The party rewarded his loyalty with a Rajya Sabha nomination in 2024 and an Assembly ticket from Uluberia Purba in the recent elections.
Despite a massive BJP wave that swept through Bengal and dethroned several seasoned TMC heavyweights, Ritabrata comfortably won his seat.
Cracks opened almost immediately after his victory when a video of him exchanging warm pleasantries with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Delhi’s Banga Bhaban went viral. Ritabrata brushed it off as “political courtesy,” but the TMC leadership viewed it with deep suspicion.
Following the assembly coup, a visibly shaken Mamata Banerjee apologized to party workers for giving him a ticket over loyalists, alleging that a “conspiracy hatched from Delhi” was actively working to dismantle her party.
What Lies Ahead
With 58 MLAs firmly behind him, Ritabrata Banerjee has successfully engineered a historic split within the legislative wing of the Trinamool Congress. For a man who has transitioned from a Marxist youth icon to a Trinamool loyalist, and now to an anti-Mamata rebel leader, the next chapter of Bengal politics remains wildly unpredictable.
