The ongoing dispute within the Trinamool Congress regarding the formation of the National Working Committee (NWC) has intensified. The Mamata Banerjee faction has submitted details of the new committee to the Election Commission, while the validity of the decisions made by the rival faction is being called into question. Notably, the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee has not only approved the proposal to remove Mamata as the chairperson of the TMC but also dissolved the previous National Working Committee and announced the formation of a new committee.
What do experts, TMC constitution say?
According to political analysts, the Mamata camp currently appears to be in a stronger position based on the rules laid out in the party constitution. It is stipulated that the designated procedures must be strictly followed for the formation of the NWC within Trinamool’s organizational structure.
As per Section 12(A) of the party constitution, the NWC must consist of 20 members, with 9 of these members required to be elected through the National Committee. The dispute remains centered on whether this specific process was followed during the rebel faction’s special meeting.
Additionally, the powers vested in the party president play a crucial role. According to the constitution, the president has the authority to nominate more than half of the NWC members. Given these constitutional and organisational provisions, the Mamata Banerjee faction currently appears to hold the upper hand.
TMC writes to ECI, claims ‘original’ tag
Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee-aligned faction in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI), furnishing details of what it claims is the party’s original national working committee.
The faction, describing itself as the “original but minority” group loyal to former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, asserted that its list represents the “real” national working committee, countering the parallel panel announced by the “rebel but majority” faction of TMC legislators in the West Bengal Assembly.
In the list submitted by the Mamata Banerjee faction, she has been named national chairperson, Subrata Bakshi as national vice-president, and Abhishek Banerjee as general secretary. The list also includes Rajya Sabha members Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen as joint secretaries, and former Rajya Sabha member Subhasish Chakraborty as treasurer.
On Monday, the rebel faction led by opposition leader Ritabrata Banerjee unveiled a new national working committee excluding both Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee. The rebel faction’s committee, announced on Monday evening, named senior legislator and former minister Arup Roy as chairperson in place of Mamata Banerjee. Former minister Aroop Biswas was appointed vice-chairman, along with MLAs Firhad Hakim and Rathin Ghosh as vice-chairmen.
Ritabrata Banerjee, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha, and Sabina Yasmin were named general secretaries, while Akhruzzaman was appointed treasurer.
Bureau Report
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