NEW DELHI: Former West Bengal state president Chandrima Bhattacharya on Saturday said that she decided to resign from all posts in the Trinamool Congress after losing the confidence and trust of party chief Mamata Banerjee, while rejecting questions over her loyalty to the party.Speaking to reporters after submitting her resignation, Bhattacharya said, “The confidence that Mamata ji had in me seemed to have weakened. When trust and confidence were no longer there, it became difficult to continue working as a party worker… I respect Kunal Ghosh, but who is he to question my loyalty, and on what basis? Mamata Banerjee knows whether I am loyal or not.”Her remarks came hours after the Mamata Banerjee-led faction accused her resignation of being a ‘pre-planned’ move and alleged that she had aligned herself with the rival faction led by expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee amid the Trinamool Congress’ deepening internal crisis.Mamata Banerjee-led faction suffered another setback, with Bhattacharya stepping down from her position barely a month after she was appointed West Bengal state president following the party’s defeat in the 2026 assembly elections.Speaking to reporters, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “Chandrima Bhattacharya was our didi. When she was in office, they (the rebel faction) came. If she had remained there for some more time as president, locks would not have been put. But she left. When Mamata Banerjee was CM, Chandrima Bhattacharya held the highest number of ministerial portfolios. If she is upset, there could have been communication, but joining the opposition camp suggests that it was pre-planned.““Anyone can make any decision but when Mamata Banerjee was the CM, she (Chandrima Bhattacharya) had the most important ministry (department). Now she is showing arrogance,” he said.Bhattacharya also resigned from all other posts she held in the party. She withdrew as the authorised signatory for the Trinamool Congress and its associated organisations’ bank accounts and gave up her role as Mamata Banerjee’s authorised representative before the Election Commission.Bhattacharya was appointed West Bengal state president on June 3, replacing senior leader Subrata Bakshi during the party’s national working committee meeting at Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence.In her resignation letter addressed to the TMC chief, Bhattacharya thanked Mamata for her trust and said she continued to hold her in the highest regard.“At the end I would like to state that I have the highest regards for you and will remain ever respectful to you,” she wrote.Later, Bhattacharya told reporters that her decision was prompted by a phone call from Mamata Banerjee, who allegedly blamed her for allowing the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction to take control of Trinamool Bhavan, the party’s operational headquarters in Kolkata.“I was deeply hurt when she (Mamata Banerjee) called me to say that I have handed over the party office to them (the rebels), although I do not know how I did that. It is evident that my loyalty and trustworthiness were shaken from their roots. This had never happened in the past. Once those fundamental binding forces are gone, there is no reason for me to stay in the party or return to it,” Bhattacharya said.Asked whether she planned to formally join the rebel camp, she replied, “There’s more to life than this. I am yet to decide the course I will chart.”However, shortly after speaking to the media, Bhattacharya was seen attending a meeting with leaders of the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction at the West Bengal assembly, where she was welcomed by deputy leader of opposition Sandipan Saha.The development comes after the rebel faction took control of Trinamool Bhavan, held a meeting at the premises and changed the locks, declaring that the office would now function as its organisational headquarters.The organisational battle intensified after the rebel camp approached the Election Commission seeking recognition as the ‘real’ Trinamool Congress and staking claim to the party’s name and election symbol.Following Bhattacharya’s exit, Mamata assume the role of the party’s state unit president and inducted Madan Mitra and Kunal Ghosh into the state committee as General Secretaries.“As the AITC Chairperson, I announce that from today, I will also assume the role of the West Bengal state TMC President. Two more individuals–Madan Mitra and Kunal Ghosh–have been inducted into the party committee. Both have been appointed as General Secretaries of this committee,” Mamata said in a video message.The split has widened since the TMC’s defeat in the 2026 assembly elections. Several senior leaders, including former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, veteran MLA Jawed Khan and senior leader Golam Rabbani, have joined the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction.The Election Commission has already asked both factions to submit documents supporting their respective claims over the party’s organisational structure, authorised signatories and control of the party by July 6, as the battle for the Trinamool Congress continues to escalate.
