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Kolkata: June 18 was a day of political jolts for Mamata Banerjee, beleaguered chief of the Trinamool Congress. The Calcutta high court officially recognised her party’s rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition, explicitly refusing to interfere with Speaker Rathindra Bose’s decision. 

Following the debacle of the 2026 assembly elections, Banerjee, along with Sandipan Saha led an internal coup, splitting the Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislative party and claiming the allegiance of 65 MLAs. The high court’s ruling effectively shattered the ruling camp’s efforts to install loyalist Sovandeb Chattopadhyay in the post. Ritabrata Banerjee has meanwhile challenged the old guard to a floor test to prove that the vast majority of legislators have abandoned them.

This unprecedented restructuring of the legislative floor highlights a deeper shift in how the state’s adversarial politics operate. Commenting on this new dynamic, political analyst Sambit Pal notes, “The opposition space has been diluted in a fast and tactical manner. TMC used to poach MLAs from the opposition camp, but BJP has changed the whole game without even inducting the opposition MLAs into the party. I don’t see Ritabrata Banerjee and his team ever being able to hit the streets against the state government even if there is any issue that needs the opposition’s attention.”

Also read: First MLAs, Now MPs: Here’s What Has Cost Mamata Banerjee Her Party

The national treasurer

Hard on the heels of this judicial defeat came what looks like a stunning betrayal from within Mamata Banerjee’s most trusted inner circle, orchestrated by former sports minister Aroop Biswas. Serving as the national treasurer of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Biswas exercised absolute oversight over the party’s bank accounts, investment portfolios, and official disclosures to the........

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