Senior TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay on Sunday formally aligned himself with the dissident faction seeking control of the party's parliamentary wing, endorsing a proposal to retain Mamata Banerjee in an advisory role, even as the rebels claimed two more MPs were set to join them, taking their strength in the Lok Sabha to 22.
The developments marked a fresh setback for the Mamata Banerjee-led faction as rebel MPs prepared to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to seek recognition as a separate parliamentary bloc, following the TMC's rout in the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections.
Bandyopadhyay, one of the party's seniormost parliamentarians and for years its principal face in New Delhi, said he had decided to side with the dissidents after being approached by MPs and MLAs who wanted Banerjee to continue as a guiding figure of the organisation.
"Most MPs and MLAs want the party to continue. It is their initiative. They want Mamata Banerjee to be the chief advisor and continue in a role similar to that of a leader. Their appeal touched me. Therefore, I decided that I can stay with them," Bandyopadhyay told a Bengali news channel.
Incidentally, Bandopadhyay was TMC's Lok Sabha party leader from 2011 till 2025, when he was replaced by national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in that post.
The formulation closely mirrors the arrangement adopted by the rebel bloc in the West Bengal assembly, where dissident legislators led by Ritabrata Banerjee have projected Mamata Banerjee as a mentor-like figure while assuming control of the legislative organisation.
Even after joining the dissident camp, Bandyopadhyay indicated he had not yet signed the petition that the rebels plan to submit before the Speaker, saying he wanted to do so only after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in person.
"Till yesterday afternoon, Suvendu had said he might not be able to come and that I should sign. I told him I would sign only when he comes. We may meet tonight," he said.
The insistence on a personal meeting with Adhikari added to the political intrigue surrounding the veteran MP's move, coming at a time when anti-Mamata forces in Bengal politics are attempting to consolidate their position after the assembly election outcome.
The announcement came a day after Bandyopadhyay's meeting with Union Minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi triggered intense speculation about his political future.
Accompanied by rebel MP Shatabdi Roy, Bandyopadhyay had met Yadav at his residence on Saturday, amid hectic consultations among dissident MPs ahead of their planned move before the parliamentary authorities.
Bandyopadhyay subsequently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday night. He also attended a strategy meeting at Yadav's residence on Sunday.
Speaking about the interaction, the veteran MP suggested it was far from a routine courtesy call. "The meeting was initially expected to last seven minutes but stretched for more than an hour, with tea being served after nearly 60 minutes of discussions," he remarked.
The dissident camp, meanwhile, claimed its numbers were continuing to swell. Speaking to reporters at Kolkata airport before leaving for New Delhi, rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said two more Lok Sabha members were expected to join the faction shortly, which would take its strength in the House to 22.
"We are meeting the Speaker tomorrow and will seek recognition as a separate parliamentary bloc," she said.
Earlier, rebel MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia had claimed that 19 of the TMC's 28 Lok Sabha MPs were already backing the dissident group.
With Bandyopadhyay now formally joining the camp and more MPs expected to cross over, the rebels believe they are comfortably above the threshold required to press their claim before the Speaker.
The faction, led by Ghosh Dastidar, has already indicated that once recognised as a separate bloc, it would support the BJP-led NDA government in Parliament.
The battle for control of the TMC is now being fought simultaneously in Parliament and the West Bengal assembly.
Last week, 64 of the party's 80 MLAs broke away and secured recognition as a separate legislative formation from Speaker Rathindra Bose, with Ritabrata Banerjee being recognised as the Leader of Opposition. That decision has since been challenged by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction before the Calcutta High Court.
For the rebels, Bandyopadhyay's decision carries significance beyond numbers. A multiple-term MP from Kolkata Uttar and one of the party's most experienced parliamentary hands, he has long been regarded as a crucial link between the TMC leadership and Delhi's political establishment.
Bandyopadhyay's decision to join the dissidents while simultaneously invoking Mamata's stature reflects the delicate balancing act being attempted by the breakaway camp, seeking organisational control of the party while continuing to acknowledge the political legacy of the leader who founded it.
