Three-fourths of MLAs skip key meeting, two legislators expelled: Is TMC crumbling?

It seems there is no light at the end of the tunnel for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the party of Mamata Banerjee that lost power in West Bengal in May.

On Sunday (May 31), a day after TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee faced a physical assault during a visit to the family of a slain party worker, only 20 of the TMC’s 80 MLAs elected in the 2026 state polls attended a meeting convened by Mamata at her residence in Kalighat in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, on Monday (June 1), the party expelled two of its legislators over alleged anti-party activities in connection with an investigation into alleged forged signatures of TMC MLAs endorsing veteran leader Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

TMC says MLAs protesting attacks on Abhishek, Kalyan

The absence of three-fourths of the legislators raised concerns, even though the TMC dismissed it, saying the MLAs were engaged in protesting the attacks on Abhishek and Kalyan Banerjee, a senior party MP, who was hit by a projectile on his head in his own constituency in the Hooghly district of the state.

Also read: Bengal's Didi shield cracks: How Mamata Banerjee lost the state she dominated

Kunal Ghosh, party spokesperson and an MLA, also alleged that many of the party MLAs were detained by police. They requested the party leadership to defer the meeting by a few days, and it agreed.

Meeting over sign forgery charges, attacks on TMC workers

The meeting was convened to discuss issues, ranging from the Criminal Investigation Department issuing notices to various MLAs in connection with the alleged forged signatures case to alleged attacks on party workers and supporters in various parts of the state after the election results came out on May 4.

TMC expels two MLAs

The TMC expelled two of its MLAs, Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay and Sandipan Saha, on charges of anti-party activities in connection with the ‘forged’ signature incident.

Also read: TMC No. 2 Abhishek roughed up in Bengal, rushed to hospital: 'They want to kill me'

The expulsion order came minutes after Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari told a press conference at the state secretariat that the duo had filed complaints in connection with the ‘fake signature’ case in the state assembly, where Sobhandeb was endorsed by the party.

“It has been brought to the notice of the All India Trinamool Congress through its competent authority that, despite having been elected as candidate nominated by the AITC, you have repeatedly failed to attend meetings convened by the authorised leadership of the party and have made yourself involved in anti-party activities,” a communication addressed to the two MLAs said.

“It has also been observed that you have engaged in activities and made statements that are prejudicial to the interests of AITC,” the communication signed by the party vice president, Chandrima Bhattacharya, added.

Mamata irked by low turnout

According to one Bengali report, the supremo was so irked by the low turnout that she did not even go to the room where the meeting was supposed to take place. She conveyed through Shobhandeb that the meeting was cancelled for the day. Another report, however, said that Mamata held informal discussions with those MLAs who turned up.

Also read: After Mamata's fortress falls in Bengal, can TMC MPs keep party flag flying?

This is not the first time that the TMC’s newly elected MLAs failed to attend a meeting called by the supremo. Around 10 of the legislators skipped a post-election strategy meeting that Mamata convened. The party had said on that occasion that the absentee MLAs had informed it in advance, while some others were asked not to come.

Although the TMC downplayed these incidents, Mamata’s remark, made in mid-May, that those who wanted to leave the party were free to do so and that she would build the party afresh, was found to be significant by political observers.

(With agency inputs)