Twenty rebel TMC MPs, including Sayoni Ghosh and Mala Roy, will seek recognition as a separate group when they meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla tomorrow.

Twenty Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha MPs who broke away from Mamata Banerjee’s party will meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in New Delhi on Monday to press for recognition as a separate parliamentary group, party sources and officials said on Sunday.

Rebel deputation heads to Delhi

Sayoni Ghosh and Mala Roy, two MPs aligned with the rebel camp, left Kolkata for Delhi on Sunday morning. A picture from Kolkata airport showed the two departing together. Jagadish (Jagadish Chandra) Basunia, one of the rebel MPs, told reporters the group would seek formal recognition and arrangements to sit separately in the House.

“The delegation will request the Speaker to accept our letter and make arrangements for a separate bloc,” a source close to the rebels said, adding the drive is aimed at securing institutional space in the Lok Sabha ahead of the new session.

What the rebels will ask

According to initial reports, the rebel MPs will present the signatures and documentation showing the backing of 20 out of the 28 TMC MPs in the Lok Sabha. Under the Tenth Schedule (Anti-Defection Law), a group backed by at least two-thirds of a party’s legislators can claim to be a separate faction and seek recognition from the Speaker or the Chairman.

TMC’s Lok Sabha strength and the arithmetic

TMC originally had 28 MPs in the Lok Sabha. With 20 MPs now aligned to the rebel camp, they have crossed the two-thirds threshold for the party’s parliamentary strength. That count, if accepted by the Speaker, would allow the group to be recognised as a separate entity — a step that could carry implications for seating, committee assignments and parliamentary procedure.

Party removals and fallout

Both Sayoni Ghosh and Mala Roy were removed from party posts by Mamata Banerjee on June 12. Sayoni had been serving as president of the party’s youth wing; Anrab Banerjee has been named to that post, party sources confirmed. Mala Roy was removed as president of the TMC women’s wing. The removals came amid intensifying factional tension after the party’s poor performance in recent elections.

Legal notices and family disputes

The political rupture has also produced legal moves. Baidyanath, son of MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, has reportedly sent legal notices to senior leaders including Mamata Banerjee, Mahua Moitra and Kalyan Banerjee. He asserted that neither he nor his mother sought a ticket from the Barasat Assembly seat, signalling disputes over nominations and local claims.

Rebellion timeline and comparison

The split within the TMC accelerated rapidly after Mamata Banerjee’s electoral defeat. Results declared on May 4 were followed by a letter from rebel MPs to the Lok Sabha Speaker on May 18 seeking recognition as a separate group. A list of 19 names — including high-profile figures such as Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Yusuf Pathan and Shatabdi Roy — surfaced on June 12 with signatures attached.

Observers note parallels with the 2022 Shiv Sena split in Maharashtra, when a large group of MLAs broke away, prompting legal battles and a floor test. The final arbiter in such matters is often the Speaker or, if contested, the courts.

Impact on TMC’s strength

The rebellion has significantly reduced Mamata Banerjee’s parliamentary and legislative clout. In the Assembly, 58 of TMC’s 80 MLAs have reportedly joined the rebel camp, leaving the party with 22 MLAs. In the Lok Sabha, the split has left Mamata with only eight MPs. The Rajya Sabha has seen resignations too, with four of the party’s 13 members quitting in quick succession in June.

What to expect next

The ball now lies with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who will examine the rebel group’s claim and supporting documents. If he accepts their petition, the rebels can get recognition as a separate parliamentary group; if he refuses, the matter could move to the courts. TMC’s central leadership has the option to contest any such decision through legal channels, party insiders said.

For now, Delhi will host a crucial meeting that could redefine TMC’s parliamentary footprint — and reshape the party’s immediate political strategy.

The AAP MPs defection row sharpened on Sunday after Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh formally wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan, seeking the disqualification of seven party MPs. In his petition, Singh alleged that the lawmakers had chosen to join the Bharatiya Janata Party and had, therefore, attracted provisions of the anti-defection law.

According to party sources, the complaint names Raghav Chadha among the seven MPs and argues that their move amounts to a clear case of defection under constitutional provisions.

Anti-Defection Law Cited

In his representation, Singh invoked the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with disqualification on grounds of defection. He argued that the MPs could not claim legal protection merely by citing numbers or internal alignment, and said the reported shift violated the constitutional framework governing party loyalty in Parliament.

The anti-defection law disqualifies legislators if they voluntarily give up membership of their party or vote against the party line without authorisation. Singh maintained that the present case fell squarely within that framework.

Legal Opinion Taken

Sanjay Singh said the party had consulted senior legal and constitutional experts before moving the petition. He said opinions were taken from senior advocate Kapil Sibal and former parliamentary officials to assess the legal position before approaching the Chairman.

According to Singh, the legal advice received by the party was consistent and pointed to disqualification as the likely constitutional outcome if the allegations were established.

AAP Signals Legal Fight

The AAP leadership has indicated that it plans to contest the matter both politically and legally. Singh said the party would pursue the issue aggressively and would not treat it as a routine political disagreement.

He described the alleged move by the seven MPs as unconstitutional and said the party would challenge it through all available institutional channels. He also indicated that AAP was prepared to escalate the matter beyond Parliament if required.

Supreme Court Precedents

Singh said AAP would rely not only on the anti-defection law but also on past Supreme Court rulings that have interpreted the scope of defections and party mergers. He said earlier judgments had laid down clear principles on legislative conduct, party discipline and constitutional morality.

Legal observers note that the outcome could depend on whether the Chairman views the reported move as an individual defection or a legally sustainable split or merger under the Tenth Schedule.

Political Stakes Rise

The development has added a fresh layer of tension to the ongoing political contest between AAP and the BJP. With the matter now placed before the Rajya Sabha Chairman, the dispute has moved from political messaging to a constitutional test with wider implications.

The case may also trigger a broader debate over the use of anti-defection provisions in the Upper House, where party discipline and political realignment often create legal grey areas.