The crisis engulfing the TMC deepened on Monday as 20 Lok Sabha MPs, led by Chief Whip Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, wrote to Speaker Om Birla declaring support for the BJP-led NDA, triggering a split in the party's parliamentary unit and dealing a severe blow to Mamata Banerjee's authority after the party's Assembly poll debacle.
"Nearly twenty TMC MPs, including me, have decided to write to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and formally support the NDA. We have sent a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker and stated that we want to support the NDA," said Dastidar.
Sources said the dissident MPs intend to argue before the Speaker that Ghosh Dastidar continues to be the valid chief whip of the party in the Lok Sabha and that any subsequent changes announced by the party leadership were not completed through the required parliamentary procedure.
Mamata Banerjee-led TMC had decided to remove Ghosh Dastidar as chief whip and replace her with Kalyan Banerjee, but that was not communicated to the Lok Sabha secretariat, another rebel TMC MP told PTI.
"We have accepted the people's verdict and believe that our future political course should be aligned with the NDA," she said.
The group of at least 20 Trinamool Congress MPs held a meeting at Union minister Bhupender Yadav's residence, to discuss a plan of switching sides to the BJP, according to reports.
Those present at the meeting included Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, who resigned from the party and stepped down as a member of the Rajya Sabha on Monday, and Trinamool Lok Sabha MPs Prasun Banerjee, Sharmila Sarkar, Jagadish Chandra Basunia, Kalipada Saren Kherwal and Arup Chakraborty.
Senior TMC MP Sougata Roy, however, sought to dismiss suggestions of a larger exodus.
"I have heard that some MPs held a separate meeting last night. Only they can say what conspired in the meeting. I was not contacted by them," he said.
Asked about reports of attempts by the BJP to reach out to TMC MPs, Roy said he had been contacted but had declined the offer.
"I told them I will remain with the TMC. At this age, it won't be possible for me to change camp," the 78-year-old four-term MP told PTI.
A photograph from the meeting surfaced on social media on Monday, showing several TMC Lok Sabha MPs seated around a table. PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the photograph.
Sources claimed the actual attendance was significantly larger than what was visible in the photograph, with nearly 20 MPs participating in the discussions.
Speaking to the media, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said he met Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan and submitted his resignation.
"I have conveyed my decision to resign from the party to Mamata Banerjee through WhatsApp and email," Ray said.
The developments follow 60 Trinamool MLAs forming a separate group in the West Bengal Assembly, with Ritabrata Banerjee assuming the charge of leader of opposition instead of Mamata Banerjee's nominee.
"Whatever happened in the Assembly, can anyone tell whether a similar situation would not unfold in the Rajya Sabha or the Lok Sabha?" Ray said.
Ray, however, said his resignation from the Rajya Sabha and the party was different from what happened in the state Assembly as the MLAs there have not resigned.
"There is no link between their step and mine. It is completely separate. I have resigned from the party, they have not. My tenure in the Rajya Sabha was to end in 2029 but I resigned as a matter of principle because it would have become difficult for me to continue," Ray said.
Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee and her nephew and party MP Abhishek Banerjee are presently attending an INDIA bloc meeting here that stressed unity within the alliance and called for the need to safeguard democratic values and address issues related to people's livelihood.
Other than the two Trinamool leaders, those present at the meeting included Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD, Omar Abdullah of the National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, besides Left leaders.
Adding to the unease, veteran Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Shekhar Ray resigned from both the TMC and Parliament earlier on Monday, citing corruption in governance and the organisation and alleging that public anger against the party had reached alarming levels.
Though Ray's resignation was not formally linked to Sunday's meeting, his presence at the gathering and subsequent exit have intensified speculation about the direction in which the dissident camp may be headed.
With murmurs of discontent growing among parliamentarians and informal consultations continuing in Delhi, the battle for control of the party's political narrative may increasingly shift from Kolkata to the national capital.