TNI Bureau: A fresh political storm has erupted in West Bengal as rival factions within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have submitted competing claims for the post of Leader of the Opposition (LoP), exposing deepening divisions within the party.

In a dramatic development, expelled TMC MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha submitted a letter to the Assembly Speaker, purportedly carrying the signatures of 59 dissident TMC legislators.

According to sources, the group has projected Mamata Banerjee as its leader and proposed Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition, with Siuli Saha named as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

The move comes days after TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee submitted a separate communication to the Speaker proposing veteran party leader Shovandeb Chattopadhyay for the LoP post. The proposal was reportedly backed by 70 MLAs.

Abhishek Banerjee also wrote to the Speaker again on Monday, reiterating his support for Shovandeb Chattopadhyay’s candidature. However, the issue soon snowballed into a major controversy after allegations of signature forgery emerged.

Ritabrata Banerjee and several other MLAs claimed that no formal meeting or resolution had been held to select the Leader of the Opposition. They further alleged that their signatures had been forged or used without authorization in support of the earlier proposal.

The competing claims have now placed the Assembly Speaker at the centre of a politically sensitive dispute. With both camps asserting majority support and questioning the legitimacy of the other’s documents, the Speaker may be required to verify the authenticity of the signatures before taking a final decision.

The latest developments underscore growing factionalism within the TMC legislature party and have added a new dimension to the ongoing power struggle over the leadership of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.