Rebel Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Sunday claimed that two more parliamentarians were set to join the dissident camp, taking its strength in the Lok Sabha to 22, as the group prepared to seek recognition as a separate parliamentary bloc.
The development came as political activity gathered pace in New Delhi ahead of the group's scheduled meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to seek recognition as a separate parliamentary group and stake claim to what it describes as the "real Trinamool".
Their claim of support has been bolstered by senior TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay's decision to formally align himself with the rebel camp, while proposing that Mamata Banerjee remain in an advisory role.
Bandyopadhyay, one of TMC's senior parliamentarians and its long-time face in New Delhi, announced his decision on Sunday after meeting Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and BJP leaders in the capital a day earlier.
Meanwhile, several dissident MPs, including Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy, Satabdi Roy, Arup Chakraborty and Ghosh Dastidar, were seen at the residence of Yadav in the national capital.
Speaking to reporters at Kolkata airport before leaving for Delhi, Ghosh Dastidar said the rebel MPs would seek recognition as a separate bloc.
"We are going to Delhi for a meeting. Twenty-two MPs are with us. The Speaker has given us time. We will meet him on Monday and seek recognition as a separate bloc," Ghosh Dastidar said.
While she did not identify the two additional MPs, she said their names would be disclosed after they formally joined the camp.
"Those who honestly voiced their opinions against the situation prevailing in West Bengal over the last four to five years have been in touch with us. Our number is now 22," she said.
Sources in the dissident camp said a meeting of the group, originally scheduled to be held in Kolkata, had been shifted to Delhi.
Separately, reports of a meeting between the rebel camp and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday triggered speculation about the group's next move. However, a source said Adhikari was unlikely to travel to New Delhi because of an official engagement related to the Digha-Shankarpur Development Authority.
The developments come amid deepening turmoil within the Trinamool Congress following the West Bengal Assembly elections, with a section of the party's Lok Sabha MPs publicly breaking ranks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's leadership.
Meanwhile, Saayoni Ghosh and Mala Roy, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday, declined to speak to reporters at the airport. "I would answer the people of my constituency, not to you," Ghosh said.
Amid the crisis, the TMC carried out a fresh organisational reshuffle, removing Ghosh, Roy and Bandyopadhyay from key party posts.
Arnab Banerjee was appointed president of the Trinamool Youth Congress, replacing Ghosh, while Kaliganj MLA Alifa Ahmed replaced Roy as president of the party's women's wing.
In another significant change, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh was named president of the party's North Kolkata organisational district, replacing Bandyopadhyay.
The party also appointed senior MP Saugata Roy as chief adviser to its Lok Sabha wing, comprising MPs who remain loyal to Banerjee.
On Monday, Ghosh Dastidar had claimed the support of around 20 TMC MPs and said the group intended to back the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre.
A document bearing the signatures of 19 TMC MPs surfaced on Friday, purportedly supporting the move to form a separate parliamentary bloc under Ghosh Dastidar's leadership.
The signatories included Ghosh Dastidar, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Sharmila Sarkar, Prasun Banerjee, Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, Asit Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari (Dev), June Maliah, Partha Bhowmick, Khalilur Rahaman, Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Mitali Bag and Mala Roy. Separate signatures of Rachana Banerjee and Sayani Ghosh also appeared on the document.
TNIE could not independently verify the authenticity of the signatures or the purported communication to the Speaker.
According to the report, the MPs have written to Om Birla seeking recognition as a separate bloc. There has been no official confirmation from the Speaker's Secretariat on whether the letter has been received.
Among the TMC MPs whose signatures did not appear on the document were Abhishek Banerjee, Kalyan Banerjee, Saugata Roy, Mahua Moitra, Kirti Azad, Shatrughan Sinha, Pratima Mondal and Sajda Ahmed.