Mamata AITC alleges that West Bengal administration helping rival faction get affidavits in their favour

The Mamata Banerjee faction of the Trinamool Congress has written to the State Chief Secretary and Director General of Police alleging illegality in the supply of stamp papers to the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee and Arup Roy to submit affidavits from supporters staking claim to the party.

Both the factions of the Trinamool Congress- one led by Mamata Banerjee and the other by Ritabrata Banerjee- have to submit affidavits of party supporters staking claim to the party by October 26.

In a letter addressed to the DGP, the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress has alleged that the West Bengal government has “directed all OCs (officer-in-charge) and ICs ( Inspector-in-Charge) of every police station to obtain more than 1,100 affidavits from non-Members of AITC and accordingly, the OCs and ICs of Police Stations are using force and influence to get signatures on affidavits in favour of the traitor group led by Ritabrata Banerjee and Arup Roy in a complete illegal manner”.

In the letter to the Chief Secretary, the party wrote about arbitrary and unwritten directions issued to District Magistrates to all stamp vendors in the State of West Bengal “to issue and make available approximately 25,000 stamp papers of Rs. 10/- denomination at every Sub-Registry Office and to send the same to the local IC or OC (whichever is applicable) of the respective police stations”.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said that “highly alarming reports that police stations in Bengal are being used to organise political affidavits for traitor MLAs: police are apparently finding people, arranging court papers and notaries, and collecting the documents”.

Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee countered the allegations and said that the Mamata faction is unable to get any support from the ground. He also added that those making the allegations will have to prove them in court, and the party will issue legal notice to them.

“Those with Mamata Banerjee know what is going to happen. The ground-level reality is that grassroots workers are disappointed with the organised loot and legalised plunder, where all the money was spent for the nephew and not on ordinary party workers,” Mr. Banerjee said.

In the 2026 Assembly polls, 80 MLAs of the Trinamool Congress were elected to the West Bengal Assembly. More than 65 of the MLAs are supporting Ritabrata Banerjee.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) in an interim order on September 17, 2026, barred both factions of the Trinamool Congress from using the party symbol. The ECI had allotted new names and symbols to the two factions on September 18. The Mamata faction was allotted the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the symbol ‘football player’, while the Ritabrata group was allotted the name ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ with the symbol ‘envelope’.