TMC Files Response to Election Commission Over Leadership Dispute

The All India Trinamool Congress submitted a 14-page response to the Election Commission of India on July 6, 2026, to reject a leadership challenge led by Ritabrata Banerjee. The dispute centers on the validity of the party's National Working Committee; while the rebel faction claims the committees expired in 2025, the leadership faction asserts they remain valid until 2027.

MP Kalyan Banerjee, representing the party, argued that constitutional amendments in 2000 and 2006 extended committee tenures to five years, meaning the elections held in 2022 are still in effect. He characterized the dissident group's attempt to reconstitute the party during a June 22 special session as a "fraudulent practice" and a "great fraud on the AITC constitution."

Banerjee further contended that the rebel faction's claims are contradictory because they contested the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections using the official party symbol and documentation signed by Chairperson Mamata Banerjee. He argued that if the party organization had ceased to exist in 2025, the rebels' own election victories would be illegal. The Election Commission is currently reviewing the competing claims regarding authorized signatories and the legitimacy of the organizational polls.