Ritabrata Banerjee is a West Bengal politician whose career has spanned the Left and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), making him one of the state's most controversial and closely watched political figures. In 2026, he emerged at the centre of the biggest crisis in the TMC's history after being projected as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) by a rebel faction claiming the support of 60 MLAs.
Banerjee began his political journey in the mid-1990s through the Students' Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M). Rising rapidly through the ranks, he became the All India General Secretary of the SFI in 2008 and was later nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the CPI(M) in 2014 at the age of 34. Seen as one of the Left's brightest young leaders, his career took a dramatic turn in 2017 when he was expelled from the CPI(M) following public disputes with senior party leaders and a series of controversies.
After joining the TMC around 2018, Banerjee rebuilt his political career. He served as head of the party's labour wing, the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC), and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the TMC in 2024. He later won the Uluberia Purba Assembly seat in the 2026 West Bengal elections.
Banerjee's rise within the TMC coincided with growing tensions inside the party after its electoral defeat in 2026. He became the face of a rebellion against the leadership style of Abhishek Banerjee, accusing the party of drifting away from its roots.
An India Today report details a political development as a Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament resigns from the Rajya Sabha and the party. Sources indicate the parliamentarian is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party after meeting the Assam Chief Minister in New Delhi. This marks the second such resignation from the Trinamool Congress within a week, pointing to defections across both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Rebel parliamentarians have reportedly held meetings in the national capital, affecting the party's parliamentary strength. The shrinking opposition numbers in the upper house could assist the ruling party at the centre in passing legislation, including delimitation and the women's reservation bill. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress is seeking legal assistance from the Congress party to navigate the crisis and challenge the defections. The situation remains developing as more parliamentarians are reportedly considering switching allegiances in the coming days.
In an exclusive conversation, rebel TMC MLA and West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee claimed that her camp now enjoys the support of 61 MLAs, with numbers continuing to grow.
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A political crisis has emerged in West Bengal as a rebel faction of 60 legislators, led by Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, challenged the Trinamool Congress leadership.
After defeat in the assembly election, the TMC is facing a political crisis as sixty of its eighty lawmakers have rebelled against Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of Mamata Banerjee.
Karnataka witnessed a significant leadership transition as DK Shivakumar was sworn in as Chief Minister at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru. Alongside him, G. Parameshwara took the oath as Deputy Chief Minister, while twelve other legislators were inducted into the state cabinet.
In a major political twist, rebel TMC MLAs backed Ritabrata Banerjee, who has been expelled for anti-party activities, as the leader of the legislature party and conveyed their decision to the West Bengal Assembly Speaker.
The Trinamool Congress in West Bengal is facing a severe internal crisis characterised by mass absenteeism, resignations, and the expulsion of two lawmakers following allegations of forged signatures.
The West Bengal CID has launched a probe into allegations of forged signatures on a Trinamool Congress (TMC) letter that endorsed Sovondeb Chattopadhay as the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has expelled two of its MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha over alleged anti-party activities linked to a signature fraud investigation.
