Mamata faction files four police complaints in 24 hours against TMC rebels over logo use and leadership coup
The Statesman | 28 June 2026
The faction within Trinamool Congress that remains loyal to Mamata Banerjee and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has filed four separate police complaints against the rebel faction led by expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee. All four complaints were filed within a 24-hour period at police stations in and around Kolkata.
Two of the complaints were lodged at police stations under the Kolkata Police jurisdiction: Kalighat Police Station and Pragati Maidan Police Station. The other two were filed under the Bidhannagar City Police jurisdiction at New Town Police Station and Bidhannagar Cyber Police Station. The complaint at the Bidhannagar Cyber Police Station was the last of the four to be filed.
According to an insider from the Mamata-aligned faction, the core allegation across all four complaints is the same. The complaints accuse the rebel faction of unauthorised use of the Trinamool Congress party logo in mass programmes organised by their camp. They also allege that the rebel faction illegally announced the name of veteran party legislator Arup Roy as the new Trinamool Congress chairperson, replacing Mamata Banerjee in that role.
A leader from the Mamata-aligned faction explained the basis of the complaint in detail. In 2022, Trinamool Congress held an organisational conference where delegates voted to keep Mamata Banerjee as the party’s chairperson for life. Only members who had been with the party for at least five years were eligible to vote as delegates at that conference.
Under party rules, such a conference is held every five years, meaning the next one is due in 2027. If a special situation arises in the interim, the chairperson, Mamata Banerjee, is the only person authorised to convene a special session.
“Instead of following that party protocol, the rebel camp had illegally announced Arup Roy’s name as their chairperson in the absence of Mamata Banerjee. Since then, the party logo and name have been used by them as per their wishes. So, we have filed these four separate complaints at four police stations,” the faction leader said.
The Trinamool Congress is currently divided into two camps. The Mamata-aligned faction, which describes itself as the original party, is in the minority in terms of legislator support. The rebel faction, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, claims the support of at least 58 of the party’s 80 MLAs and has set up a parallel leadership structure with Arup Roy as chairperson and a 30-member National Working Committee.
The rebel faction announced its new leadership structure on June 22. It has stated that Mamata Banerjee should serve as a mentor within the party going forward but should not lead it.
The rebel camp has responded to the police complaints by pointing to a separate process already underway. A representative of the faction said that since they had already approached the Election Commission of India over the right to the party logo and party funds, the matter would be decided at the Commission level.
“Since we have already approached the Election Commission of India over the matter of right on the party logo and funds, the matter will be decided at the Commission-level only now,” the rebel camp said.