KOLKATA, July 3: The battle for control of the TMC escalated dramatically on Friday when the rebel faction led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee took charge of the party’s Metropolitan headquarters in Kolkata, changed the locks, put up fresh posters and declared it would henceforth operate from the premises.The move came barely 24 hours after the dissident camp appeared before the full bench of the Election Commission in New Delhi to stake its claim over the party’s name, symbol and organisational structure, signalling an effort to translate its legislative strength into organisational control.Accompanied by senior leaders Firhad Hakim, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and party treasurer Akhruzzaman, Ritabrata arrived at the office on the EM Bypass and held a meeting inside the premises, asserting that his camp represented the “real” TMC.The office has served as the party’s operational headquarters since 2022 after the TMC shifted there during the reconstruction of its original headquarters.
“We are the Trinamool Congress, and this office belongs to the Trinamool Congress. This office has an emotional connection with the party. The agreement with the owners has been completed, and all organisational work will be conducted from here,” Akhruzzaman told reporters.Fresh locks were placed on the gates, and new posters carrying the faction’s leadership structure were put up outside the building.Significantly, the new posters do not feature Mamata Banerjee and instead identified senior MLA Arup Roy as the party’s chairperson, reflecting the leadership arrangement announced by the dissidents at their special session last month.Despite the changes, photographs and cut-outs of Mamata Banerjee already displayed inside the premises were left untouched. Ritabrata said the faction would formally begin functioning from the office from Saturday. “We are the Trinamool Congress. This is our headquarters,” he said.
The developments triggered an immediate response from the camp loyal to Mamata Banerjee.Senior leader Kunal Ghosh reached the office after learning of the developments but was unable to enter as the gates had been locked.Describing the episode as “unfortunate”, Ghosh accused the dissidents of attempting to create confusion within the party.The Mamata camp also alleged that the takeover had been carried out with the tacit support of the administration and police, a charge rejected by the dissidents. (PTI)
