19, 20, now 22? Pressure mounts on Mamata as rebel MP tally climbs; BJP meets dissidents

NEW DELHI: Trouble mounted for Trinamool Congree chief Mamata Banerjee as rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Sunday claimed that two more parliamentarians were set to join the dissident group, which would take its strength in the Lok Sabha to 22. TMC is the third largest party with 28 MPs in Lok Sabha. If 22 MPs rebel, it would be way past the two-third majority and the MPs would not be charged under anti-defection law. "We are going to Delhi for a meeting. Twenty-two MPs are with us. The Speaker has given us time. We will meet him on Monday and seek recognition as a separate bloc," PTI quoted Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar saying. "Those who honestly voiced their opinions against the situation prevailing in West Bengal over the last four to five years have been in touch with us. Our number is now 22," she added. Several dissident TMC MPs held discussions with senior BJP leader and Union minister Bhupender Yadav. Rebel MPs Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy, Satabdi Roy, Arup Chakraborty and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar were seen arriving at Yadav's residence, fuelling speculation about the BJP's engagement with the breakaway faction. Back in Kolkata, the TMC leadership was also engaged in consultations, with senior party leaders Gautam Deb and Chandrima Bhattacharya reaching Mamata Banerjee's residence as the party grappled with its biggest parliamentary crisis in recent years. The political uncertainty within the Trinamool has intensified in the aftermath of the West Bengal assembly elections, with signs of a widening rift in the party's Lok Sabha ranks. On Monday, TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claimed that nearly 20 party MPs were prepared to support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre. The development gained further traction on Friday after a document bearing the signatures of 19 TMC MPs surfaced, indicating support for the dissident camp. A meeting between senior TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Union minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi on Saturday fuelled fresh speculation over the ongoing turmoil. The signatories have reportedly written to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking recognition as a separate parliamentary group under Dastidar's leadership. However, there has been no official word from the Speaker's secretariat on whether the communication has been formally received or acted upon.