All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy on Tuesday, 23 June asserted that 90 per cent of party workers remain loyal to party supremo Mamata Banerjee, dismissing the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee as a Kolkata hotel-room exercise with no public standing. His remarks came a day after the Ritabrata-led grouping formally removed both Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee from its reconstituted rebel committee.

Background: How the Split Unfolded

The immediate trigger was a gathering held at the Novotel hotel in New Town, Kolkata, where the Ritabrata Banerjee faction — which includes the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly — convened to formalise its breakaway structure. The faction subsequently ousted both Banerjees from its national working committee, setting the stage for a formal dispute over the party's name, symbol, and organisational legitimacy.

What Saugata Roy Said

Roy was pointed in his assessment of the rival meeting. 'A meeting was held at Novotel hotel in Kolkata's New Town, which itself shows that this breakaway faction is moving in a particular direction. Someone must have funded such a large gathering at the hotel. This entire episode is a joke and a circus,' he said.

The veteran MP underscored the party's origins to contextualise Mamata Banerjee's continued relevance. 'From just 29 MLAs, the party came to power in Bengal within five years. Those who have formed a committee by leaving Mamata Banerjee have no significance,' he added. He also urged journalists not to dignify the breakaway group with the label of rebels: 'Rebel is a big word, don't call them rebels. Call them opponents instead.'

Symbol Dispute and the Election Commission

With both factions now staking a claim to the Trinamool Congress name and its electoral symbol, the matter is headed to the Election Commission of India (ECI). Roy acknowledged the process: 'The allocation of a party symbol is decided by the Election Commission of India under The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. We will present whatever we have to say before the Commission.'

The Mamata Banerjee-aligned faction has already written to the ECI, furnishing details of what it describes as the party's original national working committee — a move widely seen as pre-empting any rival claim to the symbol.

Frozen Bank Accounts and Funding Questions

Roy also addressed reports that three Trinamool bank accounts had been frozen, alleging that the dissenting faction had drawn on party funds during elections. 'These dissenting people had used money from the party's accounts during election. Now only they know from where they will get money from, maybe the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will give them money,' he said — a charge that could not be independently verified.

The Firhad Hakim Factor

Among the dissenting figures, Roy singled out Firhad Hakim — Kolkata's Mayor and a senior Cabinet Minister — as the defection that stung most personally. 'He was just a Trinamool worker, who became a Councillor and Mamata Banerjee made him the Mayor and also a Minister. We were not that close to Mamata Banerjee but he even travelled with her in the same car after work. I don't know how much greed they have,' Roy said.

Roy further claimed that MLAs aligned with the Ritabrata-led faction would struggle to secure even 10,000 votes independently — a pointed electoral challenge to their legitimacy. The battle for the party's soul now moves to the Election Commission, whose ruling on the symbol will be the next decisive moment in this intra-party conflict.