Kolkata, 03 June (H.S.) : A major political development unfolded in the West Bengal Assembly on Wednesday as expelled Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay was officially recognised as the Leader of the Opposition. Following the approval of Assembly Speaker Rathindra Basu, the office designated for the Leader of the Opposition was opened and its keys were handed over to Bandyopadhyay.

Claiming the support of a substantial majority within the TMC legislative party, Bandyopadhyay said that nearly two-thirds of the party's elected legislators were now aligned with his camp. He asserted that his group represented the majority within the Assembly and would function as a strong and responsible opposition to the BJP government.

According to Bandyopadhyay, 60 of the TMC’s 80 MLAs have supported the proposal to appoint him as Leader of the Opposition. He said that written support from 58 legislators had already been submitted, while two more MLAs, currently outside the state, had conveyed their consent and would formally extend support shortly.

Announcing his leadership team, Bandyopadhyay said Akhruzzaman had been appointed Chief Whip in the Assembly. He also named Javed Ahmed Khan, Sabina Yasmin, Shiuli Saha and Sandipan Saha as Deputy Leaders. Letters of support and appointment have been submitted to the Speaker.

Bandyopadhyay thanked Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for inviting opposition legislators to an administrative review meeting at Nabanna. He said opposition MLAs from Kolkata, Howrah and North 24 Parganas attended the meeting and pledged to play a constructive role by supporting positive government initiatives while strongly raising issues affecting the public.

Emphasising collective leadership, Bandyopadhyay said he did not believe in personality-centric politics and would take decisions through consultation and consensus. He also expressed his desire to request TMC chief Mamata Banerjee to serve as an adviser to the legislative party. At the same time, he stated that his faction had no political association with Abhishek Banerjee.

The dispute over the leadership of the opposition began after a proposal was submitted seeking recognition of senior TMC MLA Shovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition. The proposal subsequently became controversial after allegations emerged that the signatures of several MLAs had been forged.

Earlier, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had claimed that Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay and Sandipan Saha were the individuals who first brought the alleged signature-forgery issue to the attention of the Assembly authorities. An FIR was later registered at Hare Street Police Station, and the investigation was handed over to the CID. Investigators have reportedly questioned 13 MLAs so far.

Meanwhile, TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee wrote to the Speaker on Tuesday, citing recent parliamentary precedents and urging him to recognise Shovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition.

The developments unfolded even as Mamata Banerjee held discussions at her Kalighat residence with senior party leaders, including Abhishek Banerjee, Kunal Ghosh and Chandrima Bhattacharya. The contrasting scenes highlighted the deepening divisions and leadership struggle within the Trinamool Congress, bringing the party’s internal conflict into the public spotlight once again.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh