As many as 16 Trinamool Congress MPs, led by Sukhendu Sekhar Rai and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the BJP minister’s residence on Monday, a move that comes amid growing speculation of a split in the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
These MPs have also written a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, requesting that seats be allocated to them as a separate faction. Track India bloc meeting live updates
Possible names among the lawmakers who met with Adhikari include:
- Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar
- Partha Bhowmik
- Jagadish Basonia
- Metallic bag
- Dave
- Shatbi Roy
- Rachna Banerjee
- Sharmila Sarkar
- Kalipada Surin
- Arup Chakraborty
- Asset money
- Shatrughan Sinha
- Prasoon Banerjee
- Pratima Mondal
- Babi Haldar
It is worth noting that, except for Sukhendu Sekhar Rai – a Rajya Sabha member – the other 15 possible names are Lok Sabha MPs.
If there is a rebellion within the Trinamool Congress, the rebellious lawmakers would need a two-thirds majority – 19 seats – in the Lok Sabha to avoid expulsion under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
Sukhendu Ray leaves TMC
Earlier in the day, Sukhendu Sekhar Rai resigned from the Rajya Sabha and quit the Trinamool Congress, alleging that the Mamata Banerjee-led government was marred by corruption and atrocities against women.
He later also said that since he demanded an internal inquiry into the role of police officers in the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder case, he had become “increasingly isolated” within the party.
“My only mistake was that I called for an internal investigation against some police officers because I thought they had a major role in destroying evidence. That was the turning point. I realized that I would not stay in the party for long,” he told reporters.
