Rebel TMC MLA Kasem Siddiqui returns to Mamata camp amid party power tussle

Rebel Trinamool Congress MLA Kasem Siddiqui has returned to the camp led by party supremo Mamata Banerjee, dealing a setback to the breakaway faction headed by Opposition leader Ritabrata Banerjee amid an intensifying power struggle within the party.

Siddiqui, the TMC legislator from Amdanga in North 24 Parganas, announced his return on Monday, maintaining that his loyalty had always remained with Mamata. He said he had joined the rebel grouping believing that it would continue to function under her leadership, but later realised that this was not the case.

The development comes at a politically sensitive moment for the TMC, which is grappling with an internal battle over the leadership of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and demands from the rebel faction for a floor test.

Siddiqui's decision could alter the arithmetic of the competing camps and provide Mamata with a boost as the party leadership seeks to consolidate its legislators.

‘We are with Didi’

Explaining his decision, Siddiqui said legislators had been asked to sign a document with the understanding that it would eventually reach Mamata.

He maintained that Mamata remained central to his political identity, pointing out that she had given him the opportunity to contest the Assembly election and that he had sought votes using her image.

Siddiqui said his subsequent experience with the rebel group convinced him that Mamata did not figure in the faction's functioning in the manner he had expected.

His return is significant because the Amdanga MLA, popularly known as Pirzada, comes from the influential Furfura Sharif shrine in Hooghly and is considered to have influence among sections of Bengal's Muslim electorate.

He joined the Trinamool Congress last year and was subsequently appointed one of the party's general secretaries before being fielded from Amdanga in the Assembly election.

Battle over Opposition leadership

The defection back to Mamata's camp comes amid a larger confrontation over who has the authority to represent the TMC in the Assembly.

The Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction has challenged the Speaker's decision on the leadership issue and has been demanding that the matter be settled through a floor test.

TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh, however, has argued that the Speaker's existing decision is provisional and that the recognised party organisation has the authority to inform the Speaker about its authorised representative in the House.

Ghosh maintained that Assembly rules do not require a floor test to determine the issue in the manner demanded by the rebel camp.

At the same time, he said the Mamata-led faction was prepared to face such a test if required, but insisted that voting should take place through a secret ballot.

The dispute has consequently moved beyond an internal organisational disagreement and become a battle over legislative numbers and institutional recognition.

Return gives Mamata camp a boost

Siddiqui's return is likely to be projected by the Mamata camp as evidence that legislators who initially sided with the rebels could reconsider their positions as the confrontation develops.

The rebel faction, meanwhile, is seeking to demonstrate that it commands sufficient support among TMC MLAs to challenge the authority of the existing leadership inside the Assembly.

Ghosh has accused the rival camp of attempting to split the TMC with support from the state government, adding another layer to an already bitter political confrontation.

For Mamata, retaining the loyalty of legislators will be crucial as the dispute progresses. Each movement between the rival camps could affect perceptions about which faction commands greater support within the legislative party.

Siddiqui's return therefore carries significance beyond a single MLA changing sides. With the Opposition leadership dispute unresolved and the possibility of a test of numbers continuing to loom, his move marks the latest turn in a struggle that could determine the balance of power within the Trinamool Congress.