From CPI(M) poster boy to TMC rebel: Who is Ritabrata Banerjee, Bengal’s new LoP?

In a major setback for former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose later accepted Ritabrata’s demand to be recognised as the LoP.

The rebel camp submitted a letter, notably not on the party’s official letterhead, naming Mamata Banerjee as the legislative party leader while backing Ritabrata as the LoP. The communication also proposed Seuli Saha, Javed Khan and Sabina Yeasmin as deputy leaders in the Assembly.

Earlier this week, Ritabrata, along with another MLA Sandipan Saha, had been expelled by the TMC for alleged “anti-party activities”.

Once seen as CPI(M)’s rising star

Before his entry into the TMC, Ritabrata was considered one of the brightest young leaders in Communist Party of India (Marxist).

An alumnus of South Point High School and Ashutosh College in Kolkata, he rose through student politics in the early 2000s and became the All India general secretary of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the CPI(M)’s student wing.

Known to be close to late CPI(M) stalwart Sitaram Yechury, Ritabrata’s rise within the Left party was rapid at a time when the CPI(M) was generally reluctant to project younger faces.

At just 34 years of age, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the party, cementing his image as a future national leader of the Left.

Expulsion, controversy and political isolation

However, Ritabrata’s meteoric rise soon came crashing down. In 2017, the CPI(M) suspended and later expelled him, citing “anti-party activities” and a lifestyle allegedly inconsistent with the party’s ideological values. At the time, reports around his use of luxury gadgets, including an Apple smartwatch, became symbolic of the controversy surrounding him.

Days before his expulsion, Ritabrata gave an explosive interview targeting senior CPI(M) leaders including Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat and Mohammed Salim.

Later that year, a research scholar accused him of rape, alleging exploitation on the false promise of marriage. Ritabrata denied the allegations and accused the complainant of blackmail and extortion. The controversy intensified after visuals from a personal video call went viral, pushing the once-promising leader into political isolation.

Shift to TMC and rise under Mamata

Following his expulsion from the CPI(M), Ritabrata joined the TMC in 2018 and gradually rebuilt his political career under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership.

He later headed the party’s trade union wing and publicly praised Mamata, once describing her as the “real Left leader” during an interview in 2021.

In 2024, the TMC nominated him to the Rajya Sabha following the resignation of former MP Jawhar Sircar. Ritabrata later contested and won from the Uluberia Purba Assembly constituency during the recent Bengal elections, even as several senior TMC leaders struggled amid the BJP’s aggressive campaign in the state.

Viral meeting with Suvendu sparked speculation

Soon after his electoral victory, Ritabrata again found himself in political controversy after a video surfaced showing him exchanging pleasantries with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Delhi’s Banga Bhaban.

The interaction triggered speculation within the TMC, although Ritabrata defended the exchange, calling it a matter of political courtesy.

“Should I have ignored the Chief Minister’s greetings?” he reportedly said, adding that he did not believe in that kind of politics.

Expulsion triggered by signature forgery row

The latest crisis within the TMC intensified after Suvendu Adhikari claimed that Ritabrata and Sandipan Saha had informed Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose that their signatures were forged in the party’s communication backing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the LoP.

Shortly afterwards, the TMC expelled both MLAs.

“It has been brought to the notice of the All India Trinamool Congress through its competent authority that, despite having been elected as a candidate nominated by the AITC, you have repeatedly failed to attend meetings convened by the authorised leadership of the party and have made yourself involved in anti-party activities,” the party communication said.

Without naming Ritabrata directly, Mamata Banerjee accused a former CPI(M) leader of orchestrating the rebellion.

“Someone who was earlier with CPI(M) is doing it all. We gave him a ticket, depriving others. My apologies to those who were deprived,” Mamata told reporters. She later alleged that a larger conspiracy was being planned from Delhi to split the party.

A new power centre in Bengal politics?

Ritabrata’s emergence as the new face of rebellion within the TMC marks yet another dramatic turn in a political career filled with sharp rises and controversies.

Having moved from the CPI(M) to the TMC, served as both Rajya Sabha MP and MLA within a decade, and now leading a major rebellion inside Bengal’s ruling party, Ritabrata Banerjee has once again positioned himself at the centre of West Bengal politics.