Madan Mitra quits TMC posts, joins Ritabrata Banerjee

In a major escalation of the internal crisis within West Bengal's Trinamool Congress (TMC), veteran leader and Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra resigned from all party posts and joined the rival faction led by Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. The move is seen as a significant symbolic blow to the camp led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, given Mitra's decades-long association with her.

Mitra announced his resignation from all national and state organizational committees under the Mamata Banerjee-aligned faction, which he referred to as the "Kalighat TMC," and stepped down as the party's chief whip in the West Bengal Assembly with immediate effect. He clarified, however, that he remains a TMC MLA. After meeting Ritabrata Banerjee in the assembly, Mitra told reporters, "I have only changed my room, not my house. I am very much in the TMC."

The defection marks the most prominent crossover to the rebel camp since the party's split became public. Mitra, a founding member of the TMC and a former minister in Mamata Banerjee's first cabinet, had been one of her most trusted political aides. In explaining his decision, Mitra launched a sharp critique...