Trinamool rebel camp forms State and district committees

Intensifying its efforts to portray itself as the original Trinamool Congress, the Ritabrata Banerjee camp of the party on Saturday announced its State and district committees.

The rebel faction has the support of about 65 of the 80 MLAs in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly.

The rebels announced district presidents for 26 organisational districts. They include sitting MLAs and former loyalists of party chief Mamata Banerjee. Trinamool leader Anubrata Mondal, who was considered a loyalist of Ms. Banerjee, was nominated the Birbhum district president of therebel camp.

The other notable names include Narendranath Chakraborty, who was nominated district president of Paschim Bardhaman, Debasish Kumar from Kolkata South, and MLA Emani Biswas as head of the party of Jangigur organisational district.

Chanchal MLA Prasun Banerjee has been nominated the chief spokesperson of the party.

The rebel faction also announced that it will hold an annual Martyrs Day event on Kolkata’s Mayo Road in front of statue of Mahatma Gandhi. 

The Kolkata Police has denied permission to both Ms. Banerjee-led group and the Ritabrata faction to hold annual Martyrs Day rally in front of Victoria House in Kolkata.

Former Trinamool Congress MLA from Panihati Nirmal Ghosh is also trying to warm up to the rebel camp.

The Ritabrata camp has been holding several meetings over the past few days. Mr. Ghosh, who had gone missing after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently quizzed him in the R.G. Kar rape and murder, was seen at the meeting venue of the Trinamool rebels.

Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee said that “no decision has been made’” regarding the former MLA of Panihati. “Even though he came, there was no discussion,” Mr. Banerjee said.

The other leaders who were seen at the meeting of the Ritabrata Banerjee camp were former Rajya Sabha MP Shantanu Sen, Trinamool candidate from Ashoknagar Narayan Goswami, and Behala councillor Sushant Ghosh.