As EC hears TMC dispute, Mamata camp cites five-year term to reject rebel's claim over party organisation

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday cited its party constitution’s provision prescribing a five-year term for organisational committees and office-bearers to reject a rival faction’s claim that the existing organisational structure had ceased to be valid in 2025.

TMC sources pointed to the 2010 version of the party constitution available on the Election Commission’s (EC) website. Rule 9(a) states: “The term of every Trinamool Congress Committee and of its Office Bearers, Executive Committee and members shall ordinarily be five years.”

The party said the latest version of its constitution, submitted to the EC in March this year, also provides for organisational elections every five years.

“The constitution of the TMC is unambiguous. Organisational elections are to be held every five years. The same has been happening for nearly two decades in five-year cycles,” TMC sources said.

The dispute over the party organisation is currently before the EC, which is hearing rival claims over control of the TMC.

The row began on June 22, when Ritabrata Banerjee convened a meeting of rebel leaders and announced a new National Working Committee, with Arup Roy as its chairperson. Ritabrata claimed the party was facing a “constitutional crisis”, arguing that Article 20 of the TMC constitution required the National Working Committee to be constituted every three years. He said the previous committee, formed in February 2022, had completed its tenure in February 2025.

The Mamata Banerjee-led faction has rejected the claim, saying the rebels were relying on an outdated provision and ignoring subsequent amendments to the constitution.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee had said in July, after submitting the party’s response to the EC, that the tenure of organisational committees was extended from three years to four years in 2000 and subsequently to five years in 2006, with the amendments communicated to the poll panel.

The TMC also contends that its organisational elections have consistently followed the five-year cycle, citing the 2022 organisational election as the latest instance.

It has further challenged the validity of the June 22 meeting, saying the rebel faction did not follow the multi-tier process prescribed under the constitution for constituting organisational committees. According to the party, the process begins at the block level and moves through district and state committees before the All India Trinamool Congress committee is constituted. It has also alleged that mandatory notices were not issued to party members and ex-officio members.

The Ritabrata-led faction, however, has maintained that the June 22 meeting was held in accordance with the party constitution. Ritabrata has said the faction would go on to constitute district and state committees and that the EC would decide which side was legitimate.

The TMC has also questioned the rebel faction’s claim on the ground that several of its leaders contested the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections on the party symbol after securing candidature papers authorised by Mamata Banerjee.

(With inputs from PTI)