A day after the disciplinary committee of Trinamul asked dissenting candidates to quit from the fray of the February 27 civic polls or face expulsion, a large number of rebels showed defiance, forcing the ruling party to expel around 70 contestants across Bengal on Friday.

Dilip Agrawal, a former councillor and vice-chairman of Bankura municipality who was denied party ticket and is contesting as an Independent from ward 7, on Friday said he wasn’t bothered with the party’s diktat and would continue to campaign as an Independent. The party expelled him for six years.

Like Agrawal, three-term Trinamul councillor Soumitra Majumdar from ward 12 of New Barrackpore municipality in North 24-Parganas will be fighting as an Independent after not being officially nominated. Refusing to bow down to the expulsion threat, Majumdar went around campaigning with a group of Trinamul workers on Friday.

Agrawal and Majumdar are just two examples of dissent within the Trinamul, there are many more “rebels" fighting against the official nominees in many of the 107 civic bodies that will go to the polls on February 27. What has surprised the leadership is the defiance despite Trinamul disciplinary committee’s ultimatum on the advice of the party supremo Mamata Banerjee.

“I respect my leader Mamata Banerjee and will be with Trinamul till my last breath but in this case, I am contesting for people. After I was denied a ticket, Trinamul supporters advised me to contest,” said Agrawal.

Asked why he was not obeying Mamata, Majumdar said: “I respect Didi like Hanumanji loved Lord Shri Ram. But, her decision to deny me a ticket pained me. If unscrupulous persons can get a nomination, what is my fault?”

Ever since the warning was issued on Thursday, around 70 Independents have been expelled in several districts including 10 from Bankura, five from Purulia, three from West Midnapore, two from East Burdwan’s Kalna.

Trinamul insiders said most of these Independents were former councillors who enjoyed support of the people and party workers in their respective wards. This, they feared, may split Trinamul’s votes and help BJP candidates win some wards.

“The party faces a serious problem in districts like Bankura or Purulia where the BJP has managed to retain its organisation base having won a majority of the Assembly seats,” said a Trinamul leader in Purulia.

Trinamul insiders said many of these rebels, including a few who headed the civic bodies as chairman or board of administrators, were not renominated as there were questions about their “transparency” in conducting themselves during their tenure as people’s representatives.

If some are contesting the polls as rebels, some switched over the Congress to contest the February 27 elections.

Shamim Dad Khan, the former chairman and chairperson of board of administrators at Purulia municipality, is a Trinamul leader who joined the Congress after he was denied a party ticket from ward 8. He has been nominated as the Congress candidate from ward 8.

While a section of Trinamul leaders felt the Independents would return to the party if they won, a senior Trinamul leader had a different view.

“Mamata Banerjee has zero tolerance against such rebels. They won't be taken back even if they win,” the leader said.