Kolkata: TMC rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee removed TMC Supremo Mamatha Banerjee as Chairperson of TMC. As per the rebel MLA’s camp sources, Ritabrata Banerjee held a meeting at a hotel in New Town, where around 60 MLAs and 70 councillors of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation were present and supported the decisions.

They also removed Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee from the National General Secretary post. Rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee speaking at the meeting said that the party was facing a constitutional crisis, arguing that Article 20 of the TMC constitution required the formation of a national working committee every three years.

Since no fresh committee was formed thereafter, the faction argued it became necessary to reconstitute the party’s organizational structure. The meeting first approved a 10 member national working committee comprising Arup Roy, Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Biplab Mitra, Akhruzzaman Ansari, Sabina Yasmin, Sandipan Saha, Rathin Ghosh, Javed Khan and Ritabrata Banerjee, before expanding it into a 30-member body.

Arup Roy, Howrah Central MLA was then elected chairperson by voice vote. The special session of TMC leaders and members unanimously elected Arup Roy as party Chairperson, he told. Former Minister Biswas and MLAs Hakim, Ghosh and Yasmin were appointed Vice-Chairpersons. Ritabrata Banerjee, Khan and Saha were named General Secretaries, while Akhruzzaman Ansari was appointed Treasurer.