Bengal bypolls to determine if Ritabrata Banerjee can translate rebellion into durable political power

New Delhi, Sep 15 (SocialNews.XYZ) The upcoming Assembly by-elections in West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar seats will mark the first major electoral test for the Ritabrata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress faction, where he has already been officially recognised as the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly.

With Wednesday marking the last day for filing nominations for October’s by-elections, the rebel Trinamool faction’s decision to contest both seats has pitted the 46-year-old Ritabrata – till now an almost unknown face in India's politics – directly against Mamata Banerjee, now 71, in a leadership race at the hustings.

Initially, he had declared that his faction would not contest Nandigram if Mamata Banerjee herself entered the fray, making a reference to her being elected the last time through a by-election. Perhaps Mamata opting out of the race this time led his faction to field a candidate in Nandigram along with a representative in Rejinagar, where it will matter for the side surpassing the other in number of votes collected.

Incidentally, Mamata lost from Nandigram against Suvendu Adhikari in 2021, and subsequently sought re-election from her home constituency of Bhabanipur to become Chief Minister for the third consecutive time. But her close aide turned political adversary threw the gauntlet in Bhabanipur this year and won, and replaced her in office.

Meanwhile, Rejinagar lies in Murshidabad, a district with Muslim population estimated at 70 per cent of the total, where the Aam Janata Unnayan Party, founded by Humayun Kabir last year, registered a win.

Some analysts argue that the Ritabrata faction’s participation in the by-elections could split Opposition votes, indirectly benefiting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), being assumed as positioning himself as Mamata’s rival and a potential ally to the Suvendu Adhikari-led state government.

Ritabrata himself won from the Uluberia Purba Assembly constituency in Howrah district as a Mamata-nominated Trinamool candidate, defeating his closest BJP rival by about 11,800 votes.

Following the Trinamool’s defeat, however, he turned a rebel, alleging various wrongdoings by the party, finally being recognised as the official Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly with his breakaway group of MLAs.

His journey began in Kolkata’s student politics. A graduate of Asutosh College and then as a Calcutta University student, he rose through the ranks of the Students Federation of India (SFI), affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He went on to become the SFI national general secretary in 2008. His oratory and organisational skills earned him recognition, but his career was marred by controversies, including his expulsion from the CPI(M) in 2017 for alleged misconduct and clashes with senior leaders. Being a Rajya Sabha member, he completed the stint as an independent and joined the Trinamool Congress in 2020, securing another term in 2024. Till the recent rebellion, he quietly bided his time as the Trinamool’s trade union leader, working more and speaking less.

Some former colleagues from the CPI(M) term him ambitious and flamboyant, with one recounting an episode where he apparently tried to force the state party committee into buying computers for office use, finally without success. Within the Trinamool, his rise has been met with mixed reactions, depending on the camp. While his colleagues claim he has given them a voice against earlier wrongdoings, Mamata loyalists dismiss him as an opportunist. His faction is locked in a battle with Mamata’s camp over the Trinamool’s name, assets, and the twin-floret symbol.

The Election Commission has heard arguments from both sides, but no final decision has been made. This dispute elevates Ritabrata’s profile nationally, as he is seen as the man who could fracture one of India’s most powerful regional parties. Though his trajectory resembles Eknath Shinde’s in carving the majority from Shiv Sena, the latter’s fight was not against founder Bal Thackeray but against his son, over a decade after the patriarch’s passing.

Ritabrata may rather be compared with Ajit Pawar, who went against his uncle Sharad Pawar in defending his faction of the Nationalist Congress Party as the “original”. The party remains in contention even after his death.

Likewise, Akhilesh Yadav took over the reins of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh in a coup of sorts in January 2017. For Ritabrata, the path is yet uncertain, but the October by-elections will be a milestone to determine whether he can translate rebellion into durable political power.

Source: IANS