Rebel Trinamool Congress members of Parliament sought legal counsel on claiming official party recognition in the Lok Sabha after asserting they hold a two-thirds majority of the delegation.
The breakaway bloc argues anti-defection rules entitle the larger faction to the whip’s office and committee assignments.
Loyalists to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee filed competing petitions with the Speaker to block the takeover.
Constitutional experts say recognition hinges on whether the rebels constitute a merged entity or a new registered party.
Delhi lawyers prepared filings on June 14 ahead of a scheduled meeting with the Speaker’s secretariat.
The dispute could reshape opposition arithmetic if the rebels align with the Nationalist Citizens Party temporarily.
Speaker Om Birla’s office has not indicated when a ruling might come on which faction may sit in the official opposition row.
The rebels claim more than two-thirds of the 35 TMC MPs elected in 2024, a threshold cited in anti-defection jurisprudence.
Legal scholars said interim whips could issue conflicting floor instructions until the Speaker certifies a single party organ.
Trinamool rebels retained senior advocates specializing in anti-defection law, preparing affidavits that document constituency-level organizational control to bolster their claim before the Speaker.
Parliamentary reporters said the Speaker may defer recognition decisions until the Election Commission certifies which Trinamool faction controls district party committees in West Bengal.
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Sources:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/trinamool-congress-party-split-west-bengal-nationalist-citizen-party-june-14-2026/article71101822.ece