A 10-member delegation of the 'rebel but majority' faction within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee, met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in Kolkata on Friday, 7 August, pressing the state government to establish additional regional tribunals to resolve cases of voters whose names were struck off during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls conducted earlier this year.

What the Delegation Demanded

Ritabrata Banerjee, who also serves as the official Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, told reporters after the meeting that the group had urged the government to expand the tribunal network beyond its current single location. 'There is only one regional tribunal and that too located at Joka in South 24 Parganas district. It is practically impossible for the common man from North Bengal districts to come to Joka for a hearing or submit documents,' Banerjee said. He demanded that additional regional tribunals be set up in each district and that the application deadline be extended by at least six months. He warned that failure to act would leave the faction no choice but to launch a 'big movement along with the affected people.'

Chief Whip's Position on Voter Rolls

Also present at the meeting was Akhruzzaman, the Chief Whip of the rebel faction. He stated that the group does not support the inclusion of illegal or fake voters in the electoral rolls, but insisted that no legitimate citizen should be excluded in the process of identifying them. Akhruzzaman noted that Chief Minister Adhikari had informed the delegation that 7 lakh people have already filed applications. However, the faction believes a significant number of deleted voters have not yet understood the process. 'We will seek the intervention of the Calcutta High Court if necessary to protect the democratic rights of these legitimate voters,' Akhruzzaman said.

Background: The SIR Controversy

The Special Intensive Revision of West Bengal's electoral rolls, conducted earlier in 2025, resulted in the deletion of a substantial number of voter names — a move that has drawn sustained criticism from opposition groups and civil society alike. The SIR process has been a flashpoint in the state's political landscape, with multiple parties alleging that genuine voters, particularly from marginalised and geographically remote communities, were disproportionately affected. This meeting marks one of the more concrete institutional interventions by the rebel faction, which has positioned itself as a pressure group operating outside the TMC's official structure.

Political Significance

The rebel faction's direct engagement with Chief Minister Adhikari — rather than the TMC leadership — underscores the deepening fractures within the party. Notably, Ritabrata Banerjee was expelled from the TMC yet retains his position as Leader of the Opposition, giving the group formal legislative standing even outside party ranks. The faction's threat of street protests and potential recourse to the Calcutta High Court signals an escalation strategy if the government does not respond to the tribunal demand.

With the application deadline a live issue and tens of thousands of voters potentially still unaware of the redressal process, the pressure on the state administration is likely to intensify in the weeks ahead.