Updated on: Jun 19, 2026 2:33:23 PM IST
Rebellion crisis LIVE: TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee arrives at the CID headquarters on Tuesday
Rebellion drama LIVE updates: Speculation of split and rebellion by lawmakers has gripped three major opposition parties — the Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT and the Samajwadi Party (SP) — with allegations being made against the Bharatiya Janata Party and the alliance led by it, NDA, of orchestrating the uprising of sorts by MPs and MLAs.
In the latest developments in the rebellion drama, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee left for Delhi on Friday to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over his yet-to-be-taken decision on the move by 20 rebel TMC MPs to merge with a small Tripura-based party NCPI, which is part of the NDA.
Rebellion drama | Key points
1 – TMC MPs’ rebellion: Formal approval for the merger of the rebel TMC faction, comprising 20 MPs and led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is pending with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla as he earlier this week decided to hear the TMC leadership before taking a final call. The Lok Sabha Secretariat wrote to Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC’s floor leader in the Lok Sabha, on Monday regarding a meeting after he appealed to the Speaker not to recognise any faction of the party. Abhishek Banerjee was slated to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday evening to present his case on the split. According to sources cited in reports, Banerjee was to meet Birla at 5 pm in the Speaker’s Parliament Chamber.
2 – How TMC crisis began: In West Bengal, Mamata has faced a series of setbacks since the party’s crushing defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently concluded Assembly elections. The rebellion by MPs began earlier this month, a week after MLA Ritabrata Banerjee staked claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly with the backing of 58 lawmakers. The team of MPs that features several TMC heavyweights like Saayoni Ghosh, Yusuf Pathan, Rachna Banerjee etc., apart from Kakoli Ghosh wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker later proposing merger with the NCPI. If the merger goes through, the NDA’s strength in the Lok Sabha will rise from 294 to 314 seats, still 46 short of the two-thirds majority mark. In the Rajya Sabha, the ruling alliance could reach 155 seats, just eight short of the two-thirds threshold.
3 – Shiv Sena-UBT rebellion in Maharashtra: Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, ‘Operation Tiger’ has been gaining momentum. Operation Tiger is the name given to the Shiv Sena’s attempts to poach Sena (UBT) elected representatives. It gained steam on Tuesday evening, two days after only four of the nine Sena (UBT) MPs attended a meeting called by Thackeray at his residence in Mumbai. Leaders of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena said six MPs from the rival Sena (UBT) are likely to form a separate group and are expected to submit a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla. They will then merge with the Sena’s Lok Sabha unit, an HT report quoted Sena insiders as saying.
4 – Who are the 6 Sena-UBT rebels: The above-mentioned insiders also said three Sena (UBT) MPs – Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh and Bhausaheb Wakchaure – arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday and did not respond to phone calls from party leaders. The six MPs who are likely to form a breakaway group are: Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Patil (Mumbai North East). However, this could not be independently verified.
5: Samajwadi Party split rumours: Split speculation are also haunting the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party after internal turmoil TMC and Shiv Sena-UBT. The rumours were triggered by UP minister OP Rajbhar’s claim on Wednesday that the “entire SP is sitting to join the BJP”.
…Read More
In the latest developments in the rebellion drama, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee left for Delhi on Friday to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over his yet-to-be-taken decision on the move by 20 rebel TMC MPs to merge with a small Tripura-based party NCPI, which is part of the NDA.
Rebellion drama | Key points
1 – TMC MPs’ rebellion: Formal approval for the merger of the rebel TMC faction, comprising 20 MPs and led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is pending with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla as he earlier this week decided to hear the TMC leadership before taking a final call. The Lok Sabha Secretariat wrote to Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC’s floor leader in the Lok Sabha, on Monday regarding a meeting after he appealed to the Speaker not to recognise any faction of the party. Abhishek Banerjee was slated to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday evening to present his case on the split. According to sources cited in reports, Banerjee was to meet Birla at 5 pm in the Speaker’s Parliament Chamber.
2 – How TMC crisis began: In West Bengal, Mamata has faced a series of setbacks since the party’s crushing defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently concluded Assembly elections. The rebellion by MPs began earlier this month, a week after MLA Ritabrata Banerjee staked claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly with the backing of 58 lawmakers. The team of MPs that features several TMC heavyweights like Saayoni Ghosh, Yusuf Pathan, Rachna Banerjee etc., apart from Kakoli Ghosh wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker later proposing merger with the NCPI. If the merger goes through, the NDA’s strength in the Lok Sabha will rise from 294 to 314 seats, still 46 short of the two-thirds majority mark. In the Rajya Sabha, the ruling alliance could reach 155 seats, just eight short of the two-thirds threshold.
3 – Shiv Sena-UBT rebellion in Maharashtra: Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, ‘Operation Tiger’ has been gaining momentum. Operation Tiger is the name given to the Shiv Sena’s attempts to poach Sena (UBT) elected representatives. It gained steam on Tuesday evening, two days after only four of the nine Sena (UBT) MPs attended a meeting called by Thackeray at his residence in Mumbai. Leaders of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena said six MPs from the rival Sena (UBT) are likely to form a separate group and are expected to submit a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla. They will then merge with the Sena’s Lok Sabha unit, an HT report quoted Sena insiders as saying.
4 – Who are the 6 Sena-UBT rebels: The above-mentioned insiders also said three Sena (UBT) MPs – Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh and Bhausaheb Wakchaure – arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday and did not respond to phone calls from party leaders. The six MPs who are likely to form a breakaway group are: Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Patil (Mumbai North East). However, this could not be independently verified.
5: Samajwadi Party split rumours: Split speculation are also haunting the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party after internal turmoil TMC and Shiv Sena-UBT. The rumours were triggered by UP minister OP Rajbhar’s claim on Wednesday that the “entire SP is sitting to join the BJP”.
Follow all the updates here:
Jun 19, 2026 2:33:23 PM IST
Rebellion drama LIVE updates: Allegations on NDA lack substance, says Ramdas Athawale, cites his party as example
Rebellion drama LIVE updates: On allegations of NDA trying to destroy smaller regional parties, Union minister Ramdas Athawale said the blamed lack substance, citing the example of his party – Republican Party Of India (A).
“I believe this allegation lacks substance. My party is a small party, but despite that, after joining the NDA, my party has reached 28 states and 8 union territories, and is even recognised in Nagaland and Manipur… So, there is no substance in this allegation,” Athawale said, speaking to ANI news agency.
Jun 19, 2026 2:11:53 PM IST
Shiv Sena-UBT rebellion news LIVE: How signs of split in Uddhav Thackeray-led party surfaced
Shiv Sena-UBT rebellion news LIVE: If speculation are true, Uddhav Thackeray is currently battling ‘Operation Tiger’, the alleged attempts by ex-aide Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s bid to poach elected representatives from the rival camp, which is believed to have been in play ever since Shinde split the Sena and joined forces with the ruling BJP in Maharashtra in 2022. The latest push, the second major division for Thackeray, moved with unusual speed, catching the Sena (UBT) leadership off-guard.
The first sign that the operation was underway were visible four days ago, when some Sena (UBT) MPs failed to personally attend a meeting called by Thackeray at his residence in Mumbai. Then, on Tuesday, the rebel MPs severed communication with party leaders. It reached a critcal stage when the six dissident MPs defied the party’s whip calling a meeting of the Sena (UBT)’s parliamentary party in Delhi on Thursday.
The six MPs reportedly are – Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North-East) and Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv). Read more here
Jun 19, 2026 2:02:56 PM IST
Rebellion crisis LIVE: TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee likely to meet Lok Sabha Speaker at 5 pm
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee will meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday evening to present his case on the split in the party and oppose the recognition of a rebel faction, sources said.
According to sources cited in a PTI news agency report, Banerjee will meet Birla at 5 pm in the Speaker’s Parliament Chamber.
The meeting comes after Birla invited the TMC Lok Sabha leader to present his views on the issue before a decision was made on a demand by 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs to recognise them as a separate group following their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India.
On June 10, Banerjee wrote to the Speaker, urging him not to accord any recognition, status or facility to any group claiming to be a separate faction of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), contending that the Constitution and the anti-defection law do not permit the formation of a separate group within an existing political party.
Jun 19, 2026 2:00:41 PM IST
Rebellion news LIVE: How the TMC rebellion crisis unfolded
Rebellion news LIVE: Formal approval for the merger of the rebel TMC faction, comprising 20 MPs and led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is pending with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla as he earlier this week decided to hear the TMC leadership before taking a final call. The Lok Sabha Secretariat wrote to Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC’s floor leader in the Lok Sabha, on Monday regarding a meeting after he appealed to the Speaker not to recognise any faction of the party.
Abhishek Banerjee was slated to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday evening to present his case on the split. According to sources cited in reports, Banerjee was to meet Birla at 5 pm in the Speaker’s Parliament Chamber.
How TMC crisis began
In West Bengal, Mamata has faced a series of setbacks since the party’s crushing defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently concluded Assembly elections. The rebellion by MPs began earlier this month, a week after MLA Ritabrata Banerjee staked claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly with the backing of 58 lawmakers.
The team of MPs, that features several TMC heavyweights like Saayoni Ghosh, Yusuf Pathan, Rachna Banerjee etc., apart from Kakoli Ghosh, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker later proposing merger with the NCPI. If the merger goes through, the NDA’s strength in the Lok Sabha will rise from 294 to 314 seats, still 46 short of the two-thirds majority mark. In the Rajya Sabha, the ruling alliance could reach 155 seats, just eight short of the two-thirds threshold.
Jun 19, 2026 1:48:04 PM IST
Rebellion crisis LIVE: Abhishek Banerjee heads to Delhi for key meet with LS Speaker over TMC rebels’ merger
Rebellion crisis LIVE: Speculation of split and rebellion by lawmakers has gripped three major opposition parties — the Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT and the Samajwadi Party (SP) — with allegations being made against the Bharatiya Janata Party and the alliance led by it, NDA, of orchestrating the uprising of sorts by MPs and MLAs.
In the latest developments in the rebellion drama, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee left for Delhi on Friday to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over his yet-to-be-taken decision on the move by 20 rebel TMC MPs to merge with a small Tripura-based party NCPI, which is part of the NDA.
