DTC Sets Condition for Joining INDIA Bloc, Seeks Mamata Banerjee’s Exclusion

Kolkata: The political equations within the Opposition INDIA bloc have acquired a new dimension after the Democratic Trinamool Congress (DTC), led by Ritabrata Banerjee, expressed its willingness to join the alliance with a condition — Mamata Banerjee must be excluded from the grouping.

DTC chief whip Md Akhruzzaman made the demand on Thursday, saying that his party was prepared to join the INDIA bloc if its leadership agreed to keep Mamata Banerjee out of the alliance. He urged senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi, to consider the proposal.

Akhruzzaman alleged that Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress had, on several occasions, acted in a manner that benefited the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He also alleged that the TMC had helped the BJP in Parliament by remaining absent or walking out during crucial votes. These are political allegations made by the DTC and have not been independently established.

“If the coalition leadership removes her, Democratic Trinamool Congress is ready to join and strengthen the hands of the alliance,” Akhruzzaman said, according to reports.

The statement comes at a time when the INDIA bloc is seeking to present a united Opposition front over the ongoing dispute with the Election Commission, particularly over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Mamata Banerjee herself participated prominently in the INDIA bloc meeting held in Delhi on September 30. Leaders of around 19 to 20 Opposition parties attended the meeting, although some major parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party and DMK, were absent. Representatives of some other parties attended in place of their top leaders.

Following the meeting, the Opposition alliance announced a series of programmes against the Election Commission over issues concerning electoral rolls and the SIR exercise. The alliance has announced a ‘Save Democracy’ campaign from October 2 to October 8, along with a march by Opposition MPs to the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi on October 6.

The alliance has also said that it will organise several large public meetings during October and November and seek an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu to raise its concerns about the electoral process.

Mamata has been among the prominent voices within the alliance on the issue. At the joint press conference following the Delhi meeting, she criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and demanded his resignation. Her participation in the meeting indicates that the TMC led by Mamata continues to function as part of the INDIA bloc’s current coordination despite differences among Opposition parties.

The latest demand from the DTC is linked to the political split within the Trinamool Congress that followed the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election. The Election Commission has also been dealing with competing claims over the TMC name and its traditional ‘Flowers and Grass’ election symbol.

The commission had earlier frozen the original TMC name and symbol after rival factions laid claim to them. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction was subsequently allotted the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘football player’ symbol for the upcoming bypolls, while the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee was allotted the name ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘envelope’ symbol.

The DTC’s latest statement therefore comes from a faction that is already politically opposed to Mamata Banerjee and is seeking a separate role within the broader Opposition space.

However, there is currently no confirmed decision by the INDIA bloc leadership to accept the DTC’s proposal. Nor is there a reported announcement from an existing INDIA bloc constituent that it would leave the alliance if Mamata remained a member.

The development instead highlights the differing political positions among parties within the broader Opposition grouping. While the TMC under Mamata Banerjee continues to participate in INDIA bloc coordination, the DTC has sought entry into the alliance on the specific condition that she be excluded.

Whether the proposal will receive consideration from the INDIA bloc leadership remains to be seen. For now, the demand is a political statement by the DTC and does not represent an agreed condition of the alliance as a whole.