TMC crisis LIVE: Trinamool rubbishes Congress merger reports; Rahul Gandhi, Abhishek Banerjee discuss next INDIA meet

TMC crisis unrecorded updates: renegade Trinamool leader and LoP Ritabrata Banerjee dismissed venture well-nigh the Trinamool united states congress merging with the Congress Party. “TMC is not merging with the Congress. We have the support of 64 MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly,” he said on Wednesday. Another senior MP told HT that the merger reports were “baseless”.Sources told HT that both sides have kept the door open for a possible alliance and greater coordination within the INDIA bloc. During their meeting in New Delhi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also discussed ways for the two parties to work together on common issues and deliberated on preparations for the next INDIA bloc meeting, scheduled to be held in Hyderabad.Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's struggle to stabilise her Trinamool Congress (TMC) and keep it intact seems to be not ending anytime soon with a fresh resignation in the Rajya Sabha - second this week - coming as the latest setback. Sushmita Dev resigned from Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and said she has left the TMC. This is the second major exit this week.“I have left Trinamool Congress,” Dev told reporters. “What prompted me to leave the party is a long story, and I don't think that in politics everything should be revealed. It's just that I don't want to be in a situation where I am in two boats at the same time. The kind of upbringing I have had, I can't stay in one party and serve the other.” She added, “I will not comment on Mamata Didi. That's for sure.”She later met Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in Delhi. “I met Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma because I want to pursue politics in Assam,” she said, speaking to media persons.Dev, former president of the All India Mahila Congress, joined TMC in 2021 after leaving Congress following her 2019 Lok Sabha defeat. Her exit comes shortly after veteran MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray also resigned, alleging “unbridled corruption” and “anarchical rule," in the party.TMC crisis live updatesThe TMC faces its most serious internal crisis yet after losing the state to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent assembly polls. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee met Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday to review post-opposition alliance strategy and discuss the political situation after a wave of TMC defections following the BJP’s victory in the West Bengal elections.Tensions rose last week when Ritabrata Banerjee and 58 MLAs broke away to claim the Leader of Opposition post. They were recognised by the Speaker as the main opposition bloc and accused the leadership of authoritarian rule, also challenging Abhishek Banerjee’s role.The West Bengal CID is investigating allegations of forged signatures of TMC MLAs on documents submitted to the Assembly Speaker regarding the appointment of Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition. The case began after rebel MLAs accused party leaders of fabricating signatures and led to an FIR for cheating, forgery, and conspiracy. The CID, which took over the probe and formed an SIT, has questioned several MLAs, some of whom reportedly denied the signatures were genuine. As part of the investigation, the CID also visited Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence on Tuesday and also sought documents linked to Abhishek Banerjee.Another TMC faction emerged - With MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar offering support to the NDA, claiming she has backing of 19 other MPs. A meeting of 14 TMC MPs took place in Delhi on Monday at Bhupender Yadav’s residence and Shatabdi Roy’s house.Amid MPs and MLAs breaking rank, Firhad Hakim and Krishna Chakraborty resigned from their mayoral positions in Kolkata and Bidhannagar, respectively.TMC leader Jahangir Khan was arrested near the India-Nepal border in connection with an extortion case under investigation.