TMC Split Widens as Rebel Faction Seeks Recognition in Lok Sabha

The ongoing infighting within the TMC after the West Bengal Assembly elections has now taken the form of a major split. The rift in the party's parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha deepened when MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who is heading the rebel faction of the TMC, made a big claim on Sunday. She said that two more MPs are set to join her rebel faction, which will increase the number of her members in the Lok Sabha to 22. Speaking to reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for New Delhi, Dastidar said that the rebel MPs will meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday and make a formal request for recognition as a separate faction in the House. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said, "We are going to Delhi for a meeting. We have 22 MPs with us. The Speaker has given us time. We will meet him on Monday and request recognition as a separate faction." However, Dastidar did not reveal the names of the two additional MPs.