The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday, 1 June expelled two sitting MLAs — Uluberia Purba MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and Entally MLA Sandipan Saha — for anti-party activities, communicating the decision via email and WhatsApp to both legislators and to West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Basu. The expulsions came within 15 minutes of a press conference by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, in which he named the two MLAs as the complainants in the West Bengal Assembly signature forgery case.

The Trigger: Signature Forgery Complaint

Addressing reporters from the state secretariat Nabanna, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari disclosed that Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha had submitted a written complaint to the Assembly Speaker regarding alleged signature forgery in the Parliamentary party leadership documents. Acting on that complaint, the Assembly Secretariat lodged a case with Hare Street Police Station. Adhikari stated that, in his capacity as Police Minister, he directed the state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to take over the investigation once the matter came to his attention.

TMC's Official Grounds for Expulsion

Trinamool Congress officially stated that the two MLAs were expelled for not attending meetings convened by party leadership, indulging in anti-party activities, and making statements against the party — notably making no direct reference to the forgery complaint. Critics argue the timing — expulsion within minutes of Adhikari's presser — points to a direct link between the complaint and the action.

Reacting to the expulsion, Sandipan Saha said the party 'supports those who do immoral things and expels those who act morally.' He added that the two legislators were unaware that signing an attendance sheet would be treated as signing a resolution.

What Expulsion Means Under Assembly Rules

Under applicable rules, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha will be classified as 'non-party' MLAs following their expulsion. They are no longer bound by the party whip — including in Rajya Sabha elections — and the Trinamool Congress cannot seek cancellation of their Assembly membership on grounds arising from a separate incident. Their votes, therefore, become unpredictable for the ruling party on future floor tests.

Ritabrata Banerjee's Political Journey

This is not the first expulsion for Ritabrata Banerjee. In 2014, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) sent him to the Rajya Sabha, where he served until 2020. The CPI(M) expelled him in 2017 on various charges, after which he remained an independent Rajya Sabha MP for three years. Following the RG Kar rape and murder incident, when Jawhar Sircar resigned from the Rajya Sabha mid-term, Ritabrata returned to the upper house on a Trinamool ticket for approximately one and a half years. He was subsequently brought into state politics by Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, contested the 2025 West Bengal Assembly elections on a Trinamool ticket from Uluberia Purba, and won.

The Signature Scandal: Background and CID Probe

The controversy dates to the post-election period. After results were declared on 4 May, Mamata Banerjee convened a meeting of winning MLAs at her Kalighat residence on 6 May, where legislators reportedly agreed to let Mamata decide the Parliamentary party leadership. Trinamool subsequently announced Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition, Nayna Bandyopadhyay and Asima Patra as deputy leaders, and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip. A letter signed by party General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee was sent to the Assembly but rejected, as the rules require leadership elections to be conducted in a formal Parliamentary party meeting — a procedure that was not followed.

A second meeting was held on 19 May at Kalighat, where MLAs were made to sign what several of them later described as minutes of the 6 May meeting. The controversy deepened when Baharul Islam, who was absent from the 6 May meeting due to post-poll violence in Bhangar, said CID investigators showed him a signature from that date that he denied was his. The CID subsequently visited the homes of four MLAs — Nayna Bandyopadhyay, Kunal Ghosh, Tapas Maity, and Baharul Islam — as part of its probe. On Monday, the CID summoned Abhishek Banerjee for questioning, but he did not appear, citing health conditions.

Party spokesperson and Beliaghata MLA Kunal Ghosh made a lengthy Facebook post after the expulsions — without naming the two MLAs — calling the development 'rebellion and betrayal' less than a month after election results. He questioned why they contested on a party ticket if they harboured grievances, and implied that those distancing themselves were doing so because Mamata was now in opposition rather than government. As the signature forgery probe deepens and the CID presses for Abhishek Banerjee's statement, the political fallout within Trinamool is far from over.