Assembly All-Party Meeting Invitations Draw Attention Ahead of Budget Session

PTI, June 16, 2026, Kolkata : Fissures within the TMC were again on display in the West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday, with MLAs loyal to Mamata Banerjee not invited to an all-party meeting convened ahead of the Budget Session, while members of the party's rebel camp led by Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee received invitations.

The development comes at a time when the TMC, despite emerging as the principal Opposition force in the Assembly, is grappling with an unprecedented internal rebellion that has altered the balance of power within the legislature.

The Budget Session is scheduled to commence on June 18.

Ahead of it, the Assembly's all-party and Business Advisory Committee meetings assumed added significance amid the ongoing tussle over leadership within the opposition benches.

According to Assembly sources, veteran TMC MLA and the party's official nominee for Leader of the Opposition, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, was not invited to the meeting.

Beliaghata MLA Kunal Ghosh was also absent from the invite list.

Instead, invitations were extended to the camp led by expelled TMC MLA, who was recently recognised by Speaker Rathindranath Basu as the Leader of the Opposition after a majority of rebel TMC legislators backed his claim.

Political observers said the move signalled that the Assembly establishment has begun according recognition to the emerging numerical realities inside the House.

The development follows a dramatic rebellion within the TMC legislature party.

Only days ago, 58 of the party's 80 MLAs defied the leadership and extended support to Banerjee's claim for the post of Leader of the Opposition, rejecting the party high command's choice of Chattopadhyay.