A group of dissident TMC legislators on Wednesday threw their weight behind expelled party MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, submitting letters of support from 58 MLAs to West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose, sources said.
The rebel camp also proposed a new leadership structure for the legislature party, naming Ritabrata Banerjee as its leader and Akhruzzaman as chief whip, according to sources.
Banerjee, accompanied by dissident legislators including Chandranath Sinha, Shiuli Saha and Sandeepan Saha, met the Speaker in his Assembly chamber and submitted the documents.
Sources said the support letters carry signatures of 58 legislators, including Madhyamgram MLA Rathin Ghosh, who backed Ritabrata Banerjee before leaving the Assembly premises.
In a significant political signal, the dissident lawmakers have described TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee as their "chairperson" in the communication submitted to the Speaker, indicating that their revolt is aimed at the existing leadership structure of the legislature party rather than the party chief herself.
(With inputs from PTI)