TMC submits response to EC, rejects rebel faction’s claim as ‘fraudulent’
Speaking to reporters after submitting the reply, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said the party had submitted a “very detailed response” to the Election Commission in response to the statement made by rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee.
Rejecting the rebel group’s main claim that the tenure of the AITC committee and the National Working Committee ends in 2025, Banerjee said that with the amendments forwarded to the election commission, the party constitution was amended to increase the tenure from three to four years in 2000 and then to five years in 2006.
“The last organizational election was held in 2022. Therefore, automatically the life of the AITC and the National Working Committee remains for five years. It will end in 2027.” he said, adding that the committee’s claim that its mandate ends in 2025 “is false and not supported by the party’s constitutional provisions.”
He also argued that the rebel leaders themselves recognized the authority of the current party leadership by contesting the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections with the TMC symbol using nomination papers signed by party president Mamata Banerjee.
“If they say the party ceases to exist after 2025, then on what basis did they contest the election? Their own arguments will make their election illegal. They should resign immediately,” Banerjee said. he said.
The TMC leader also alleged that the June 22 “special session” in which the rebel group claimed to have re-established the party organization violated the AITC constitution. According to him, the party charter envisages a multi-layered organizational process that starts at the block level before the AITC committee is formed, followed by district and state committees. He alleged that these procedures were bypassed and mandatory public notices and notifications to MPs and MLAs were not issued.
“There was no notification in the media, no proper circulation and no notification to official members. The AITC that these allegedly formed is a massive fraud on the AITC constitution itself,” he said.
Terming the rival group’s actions as a “totally fraudulent exercise”, Banerjee said the process adopted by the rebels was “nothing” and was against the party constitution. He also accused the group of trying to illegally seize control of party offices with the support of the state government.
The Election Commission had asked both the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee to submit their allegations and counter-allegations on the party’s authorized signatories and organizational polls.
The dispute was further exacerbated when the rebel group met with the full delegation of the Electoral Commission last week, claiming it represented the “real” AITC; Mamata Banerjee’s camp, on the other hand, questioned the poll panel’s decision to give audience to leaders who it said had been expelled from the party.
