59 mins ago
TMC cites five-year rules in dispute over party control
The Trinamool Congress and a rebel faction disagree about who has the right to run the party.
The TMC says its rules give party committees and leaders five-year terms.
The rebel faction says an important committee’s three-year term ended in February 2025.
The rebel group held a meeting on June 22 and selected Arup Roy as its chairperson.
TMC leaders say the rebels used an old version of the party rules.
They also say the rebels did not follow the required process for forming committees.
The rebel faction says its meeting followed the party constitution.
The Election Commission will consider both sides’ claims.
The Trinamool Congress says its constitution requires organisational elections every five years.
A rival faction argues the National Working Committee’s three-year tenure expired in February 2025.
The TMC says constitutional amendments extended organisational terms from three years to four and then five years.
The rival faction held a June 22 meeting and announced a new National Working Committee led by Arup Roy.
The Election Commission is hearing competing claims over control of the party.
- Who
- The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and a rival faction led by West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee.
- What
- The factions are disputing the validity of the TMC’s organisational structure and control of the party.
- Where
- The dispute is being considered by the Election Commission in New Delhi.
- When
- The rival meeting was held on June 22; the dispute also concerns a committee term that allegedly ended in February 2025.
- Why
- The TMC cites a five-year organisational term, while the rival faction cites a three-year provision for the National Working Committee.
Mamata-led TMC
Ritabrata-led faction
Length of organisational terms
Mamata-led TMC
The TMC says its constitution sets a five-year term and that this cycle has been followed for nearly two decades.
Ritabrata-led faction
The rival faction says Article 20 requires the National Working Committee to be constituted every three years, making the previous committee invalid after February 2025.
Validity of the June 22 meeting
Mamata-led TMC
The TMC says the meeting was not valid because it bypassed the required block-, district- and state-level process and did not issue mandatory notices.
Ritabrata-led faction
The Ritabrata faction says its June 22 meeting complied with the party constitution and that the Election Commission should decide which side is legitimate.
Constitutional interpretation
Mamata-led TMC
The TMC says the rival faction relied on an outdated provision and ignored amendments extending terms to five years.
Ritabrata-led faction
The rival faction maintains that its interpretation of the constitution supports reconstituting the party organisation.
Key facts
- Party
- Trinamool Congress
- TMC position
- Organisational committees and office-bearers ordinarily serve five-year terms.
- Rival position
- The National Working Committee formed in February 2022 completed its three-year tenure in February 2025.
- Rival meeting
- Held on June 22, with Arup Roy announced as chairperson of a new National Working Committee.
- Constitutional documents
- The Election Commission has a 2010 TMC constitution; the party says a version submitted in March 2026 also specifies five-year organisational elections.
- Earlier amendments
- The TMC says terms changed from three years to four years in 2000 and five years in 2006.
- Decision-maker
- The Election Commission is hearing the competing claims over party control.
Quotes
TMC sources
Sources representing the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress
“The constitution of the TMC is unambiguous. Organisational elections are to be held every five years. The same has been happening for nearly two decades in five-year cycles.”
theprint.in
“The ‘traitors’ have a zero case.”
theprint.in
Sources
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