Yusuf Pathan, Saayoni Ghosh among 19 TMC rebel MPs
What's the story
A group of 19 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC)Lok Sabha MPs, including former cricketer Yusuf Pathan and Saayoni Ghosh, submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking their recognition as a separate bloc. The letter was submitted on May 18, as reported by ANI. The group is headed by senior party leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar.
Resignation details
Who are the rebel MPs?
The rebel MPs who submitted their letters include: Dastidar, Pathan, Ghosh, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Sharmila Sarkar, Sharmila Bandhyopadhyay, Jagdish Barma Basunia, Asit Kumar Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Rachna Banerjee, Khalilur Rahman, Abu Taher Khan, Mitali Baig, Mala Roy, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari, June Malia, and Partha Bhowmick. This comes amid a major internal crisis in the TMC after its defeat in the April assembly elections.
Twitter Post
ANI's report identifying 19 Lok Sabha MPs
According to Sources here is the list of 19 out of 20 TMC breakaway MPs that sent their names to the Lok Sabha Speaker’s Office on May 18th.
— ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2026
1. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar
2. Satabdi Roy
3. Bapi Haldar
4. Dr. Sharmila Sarkar
5. Prasun Bandyopadhyay
6. Jagadish Barma Basunia
7. Asit… pic.twitter.com/MM2rPhYuaf
Election aftermath
BJP trounces TMC in Bengal assembly elections
The TMC was defeated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the April elections, ending its 15-year rule in West Bengal. The party has also seen three of its Rajya Sabha MPs resign from both the Upper House and the party. These include Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik.
Political speculation
Rebel faction rules out joining NDA, Congress denies merger talks
The rebel faction has made it clear that they will not be joining the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) but will support it. This has led to speculation about a possible merger with the Congress party. However, The Times of India cited sources dismissing these claims as baseless. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh clarified that reports about an antagonistic meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee were inaccurate, adding that "the meeting was very cordial."