Bengal TMC Crisis Live: TMC leader arrested over molestation charge; another steps down as Mayor

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Krishna Chakraborty has resigned from her post as Mayor of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, officials said on Thursday. Chakraborty submitted her resignation to the municipal commissioner of Bidhannagar, bringing an end to her tenure at the civic body.

(With inputs from Anupam Mishra.)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted searches at the residence of former TMC MLA Saukat Mollah in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district as part of its investigation into a bomb blast that took place in Bhangar ahead of the recently concluded Assembly elections, officials said.

According to officials, the searches are connected to the agency's probe into an explosion in Bamunia village in Bhangar, which left one person dead and several others injured. The NIA is examining the circumstances surrounding the blast and gathering evidence related to the case. The raid at Mollah's residence forms part of the agency's ongoing efforts to investigate the incident and identify those involved.

A Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has been arrested for allegedly assaulting and molesting a woman in Kolkata, police said on Thursday. The accused, Biswajit Mondal, represents Ward No. 114 in the civic body. According to police, the arrest was made after a woman from the Purba Putiary area filed a complaint at Regent Park Police Station on June 1.

A senior police officer said Mondal was taken into custody based on the allegations made in the complaint. Further investigation into the case is underway.

BJP leader Priyanka Tibrewal on Thursday joined a massive protest in Kolkata's Entally area against rebel TMC MLA Sandipan Saha and his father Swarna Kamal Saha. Demonstrators accused the father-son duo of being involved in land grabbing and extortion.

The protest came amid mounting political turmoil within the Trinamool Congress, with Sandipan Saha among the MLAs who have aligned with the party's rebel camp. His defection to the dissident faction has intensified scrutiny of the TMC leadership and sparked fresh questions over its handling of allegations against party functionaries.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the rebel MLAs who have broken away from the party's legislature wing, arguing that they have no mandate to claim the Trinamool Congress name after distancing themselves from the party leadership.

Addressing the ongoing rebellion within the TMC in a video released on her Facebook account, Moitra said the party secured around 2.6 crore votes and nearly 41 per cent of the vote share in the Assembly elections under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. She asserted that voters had backed the TMC symbol and Mamata Banerjee's leadership rather than individual candidates.

Reacting to the political turmoil within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske on Wednesday alleged that the party's leadership style and policies had alienated both its members and supporters. Speaking to reporters, Mhaske said that a political party should belong to all its workers and leaders rather than being centred around a single family.

"A party belongs to all people, not just one family, but Mamata Banerjee behaved as if it were so in West Bengal, and that's why people, including party members, are turning against her... By supporting infiltrators, she has worked against India... Every leader, every individual thinks that if the party's people are not ready to abandon their wrong policies, why should we support them?" he said.

A Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader has been arrested in connection with an alleged job fraud case in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district, police said on Thursday.

Tilak Kumar Chakraborty was taken into custody in Haldia as part of an ongoing investigation into the case. Authorities have not yet disclosed further details about the allegations or the scale of the alleged fraud. Following his arrest, Chakraborty was produced at Basulia Rural Hospital for a mandatory medical examination, a standard procedure, before being presented before a court.

BJP MLA from Rashbehari Swapan Dasgupta on Thursday said he had "no tears" for what he described as the Trinamool Congress's internal crisis, while cautioning his own party against being influenced by political forces he termed "false friends".

A dramatic day inside the West Bengal Assembly on Wednesday saw the Trinamool Congress (TMC) confront an unprecedented internal rupture, as a breakaway group of MLAs openly staked claim to a separate leadership structure, setting up a direct challenge to the Mamata Banerjee-led party's central command. Read here.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday reached the residence of former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Shaukat Molla in connection with its probe into a blast case in West Bengal’s Bhangar area, sources said. According to officials, the agency's team arrived at Molla’s residence as part of an ongoing investigation into an explosion that took place on March 19 in Bhangar during the election period, which left one person dead. The probe is being conducted to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify those responsible.

(With inputs from Tapas Sengupta.)

While many in the BJP would undoubtedly welcome the TMC falling apart due to the rebellion, others are far less enthusiastic about such a scenario. Their concern is that the TMC's collapse would create a vacuum that would be used by the CPI(M)-led Left Front alone or in combination with the Congress to mount a serious challenge. Read here.

A Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor was arrested in Kolkata on Wednesday in connection with an ongoing criminal investigation, police said. Mahesh Kumar Sharma, the councillor from Ward No. 42, was taken into custody by the Burrabazar Police Station. The 57-year-old, a resident of Cotton Street in the Posta area, was arrested in connection with a case registered in 2025.

According to police, Sharma has been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, extortion and criminal intimidation.

(With inputs from Tapas Sengupta.)

Escalating his attack on Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, expelled TMC MLA and now-appointe Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly, Ritabrata Banerjee, claimed that the rebel faction would have no association with him, either in the legislature party or the party organisation.

"Abhishek Banerjee will have absolutely no role in it. Neither our legislative party nor the party organisation has any connection whatsoever with him. Nor does the public have any connection with him. He was beaten just as thieves are beaten," Ritabrata Banerjee said.

Amid the ongoing turmoil within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen reiterated her support for party chief Mamata Banerjee, asserting that the party's identity remains inseparable from its leader and its grassroots support base.

"Trinamool Congress means Mamata Banerjee and the common people. The common people and Mamata Banerjee, both are in Trinamool Congress," news agency ANI quoted her as saying.

Expelled Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Ritabrata Banerjee on Wednesday defended the rebel camp's claim over the party's legislature wing, saying the group has the support of more than two-thirds of the MLAs elected on the TMC symbol and had therefore been recognised as the principal opposition in the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

"This two-thirds-strong legislative team of the Trinamool Congress inside the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly does not believe in 'I'; it believes in 'we'. We have followed every prescribed norm, and that is why our claim has been accepted. We want Mamata Banerjee to be our chief advisor and provide guidance that helps us strengthen our position as the Opposition," he said.