Who is Ritabrata Banerjee? Meet expelled TMC leader, new LoP in Bengal Assembly – Firstpost

The Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) political crisis could leave the party broken. And the leader who is likely to become West Bengal’s “Eknath Shinde” is expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee.

In the latest trouble for
Mamata Banerjee, Ritabrata’s claim to the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) post in the West Bengal Assembly has been accepted by Speaker Rathindra Bose. Ritabrata staked a claim to the post despite the TMC picking veteran leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the LoP.

But who is Ritabrata Banerjee, the leader challenging Mamata Banerjee? We take a look.

Who is Ritabrata Banerjee?

Ritabrata Banerjee is a graduate of Kolkata’s South Point High School and Ashutosh College. His political journey started in the mid-1990s as a student when he became the general secretary of the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Students’ Federation of India (SFI).

He led the organisation for eight years, cementing his position as one of the Left party’s most prominent young faces in West Bengal.

Ritabrata, believed to be close to CPI(M)’s former general secretary, late Sitaram Yechury, was known for his oratorical skills.

In 2011, the Left party gave him a ticket to contest from the high-profile Kolkata Dakshin constituency, vacated by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, in the Lok Sabha by-election.

While he lost the election, the CPI(M) displayed its trust in Ritabrata by choosing him for a Rajya Sabha seat in 2014, when he was just 34 years old.

However, only three years later, the Left’s blue-eyed boy was thrown out of the party.

Left exit, TMC rise

Ritabrata’s rift with the CPI(M) began over his “lavish lifestyle”, which did not align with the party’s communist ideology. He was spotted wearing an Apple smartwatch and using a Montblanc pen.

In an explosive interview in 2017, Ritabrata said his fight was against top party leaders Prakash Karat and Brinda Karat and CPM’s current State Secretary Mohammed Salim.

Days after his remarks, the CPI(M) suspended and eventually expelled Ritabrata, accusing him of anti-party activities.

Later in that year, a research scholar accused Ritabrata of rape and exploitation on the false promise of marriage. He accused the woman of blackmail and extortion.

After being expelled by the CPI(M), Ritabrata Banerjee joined the TMC in 2018. He was initially appointed as the convener of the party’s tribal welfare committee.

He quickly rose within Mamata’s party and went on to become the state president of the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC), the labour wing of the TMC.

Ritabrata made his way back to national politics when, in 2024, the TMC nominated him for a Rajya Sabha seat after the resignation of former MP Jawhar Sircar. “Ritabrata Banerjee has invested in strengthening the organisation and advocating for trade union workers across WB. While it may take time, commitment, performance and hard work are always rewarded in the end,” TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee wrote on social media at the time.

The Greek word for “return” is nostos. Algos means “suffering.” So nostalgia is the suffering caused by an unappeased yearning to return. pic.twitter.com/1ZqjbrKVf6

— Ritabrata Banerjee (@RitabrataBanerj) May 22, 2026

In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the party fielded Ritabrata from the Uluberia Purba Assembly constituency. He won the seat despite the fall in TMC’s tally to 80 and the party losing power to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Will Ritabrata Banerjee break TMC?

Ritabrata, who, after joining the TMC, called Mamata Banerjee “the real Leftist leader”, could trigger a split in Didi’s party.

Since his victory in the Uluberia Purba seat, the leader became vocal about his displeasure with the party’s internal functioning, even going on to target Abhishek Banerjee’s leadership style, reported India Today.

Ritabrata was among the TMC leaders who slammed the Diamond Harbour MP for hiring political consultancy outfit I-PAC for the Assembly elections. He claimed the party had been “hijacked” and no longer belonged to its roots.

Then came his “rebellion”.

On Monday (June 1),
Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said two Trinamool MLAs – Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha – had informed Assembly Speaker Bose that they did sign the party’s communication naming Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition in the House.

The allegations have prompted a formal investigation by the West Bengal Crime Investigation Department (CID) into “Signgate”.

Soon after Adhikari’s claims, the Trinamool expelled Ritabrata and Saha for alleged anti-party activities. Mamata Banerjee even labelled Ritabrata a “betrayer”.

The former CM’s remarks have further fuelled speculations that the party could be split into two factions. “Someone who earlier was with CPM (Ritabrata Banerjee) is doing it all. We gave him a ticket by depriving others. My apologies to those who were deprived.”

The fracture within the TMC now seems to be becoming a battle for survival for Mamata’s party. Ritabrata reached the West Bengal Assembly on Wednesday (June 3) with 59 of the TMC’s 80 MLAs, who supported him for the LoP post.

As per Indian Express, the rebel leaders submitted a letter on a white pad instead of the party’s letter pad, naming Mamata Banerjee as the TMC’s leader; Ritabrata Banerjee as the LoP; and Sheuli Saha, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and Sabina Yasmin as deputy leaders in the House. Sources said that these rebel MLAs are not in favour of Mamata-backed Chattopadhyay taking over the LoP post.

A joint letter signed by 58 rebel Trinamool MLAs, supporting Ritabrata, was submitted to the Speaker, a senior MLA, who is part of the rebel block, told NDTV. The letter claims that their group constitutes the “real” TMC.

Addressing the media, Ritabrata said, “We are representing Trinamool Congress in the Assembly. We are a block of 60 MLAs. We would request Mamata Banerjee to be our advisor and guide us. We will play the role of a constructive opposition.”

VIDEO | Expelled TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee says, “We are the principal opposition, urge Mamata Banerjee to be our chief advisor; Abhishek Banerjee has no connection with state assembly.”

The rebellion within the TMC took a decisive turn on Wednesday, as 58 dissident MLAs… pic.twitter.com/2rDJ3XZnOJ

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 3, 2026

He added that he and the other lawmakers in his camp “do not take responsibility” for the remaining party MLAs, many of whom are loyal to Mamata Banerjee.

Saha, who was also expelled from the TMC, asserted that “more than two-thirds” MLAs supported their faction, reported Indian Express. 

This assumes importance as a section of Trinamool leaders have claimed that the rebel group is trying to increase its numbers to more than two-thirds of the TMC’s strength in the House. This would help them avoid being disqualified under the anti-defection law in case of a party switch.

Several of TMC’s MLAs have not attended party meetings in recent weeks. Many were also not present at the protest led by Mamata Banerjee.

A senior Trinamool leader told the newspaper, “Some MLAs are trying the ‘Maharashtra model’ in which Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar of NCP broke the party and snatched the party’s name and symbol. Some MLAs are trying such a coup in the party.”

Meanwhile, the Bengal Assembly Speaker has reportedly admitted Ritabrata’s claim to the LoP post and handed over the keys of the Leader of the Opposition’s room.

In an effort to quell the rebellion, the TMC leadership has decided to dissolve all party committees and frontal organisations. The party said in a post on X that it will undertake a “comprehensive exercise of introspection, performance review and organisational assessment at every level” before reconstituting its organisational structure.

With inputs from agencies