CPM’s young Turk to Trinamool’s expelled MLA: Ritabrata Banerjee’s political arc

Quick Rise, And Fall

An alumnus of Kolkata’s South Point High School and Ashutosh College, Ritabrata came to the limelight as a student leader in the early 2000s. He was named the general secretary of CPM’s student wing, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), and led the organisation for eight years. Known to be close to Left veteran and CPM’s former general secretary, late Sitaram Yechury, Ritabrata’s rise in the Left party, then known to shy away from projecting young faces, was quick.

At the age of 34, the CPM chose him for a Rajya Sabha seat. Three years after his Rajya Sabha entry, this rapid climb up the ladder of power would meet a setback. In 2017, the CPM suspended and later expelled him. A lifestyle inconsistent with the party’s ideals – Ritabrata Banerjee was spotted with an Apple smartwatch – and anti-party activities were cited as reasons. At the time, the expulsion was also seen as a fallout between the tussle between the Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury camps within the CPM. Days before the expulsion, Ritabrata Banerjee made explosive remarks in an interview, saying his fight was against top party leaders Prakrash and Brinda Karat and former MP and CPM’s current State Secretary Mohammed Salim.

Later that year, a research scholar accused Ritabrata of rape, alleging that he had exploited her on the false promise of marriage. The MP accused the woman of blackmail and extortion. Visuals from a personal video call went viral, and the once young, dynamic leader was now a castaway.

The Switch

Following his expulsion by the CPM, Ritabrata Banerjee joined the Trinamool Congress and went on to head the party’s trade union arm. In 2021, the articulate politician told The Telegraph in an interview that his then-boss, Mamata Banerjee, is the real Leftist leader.

In 2024, it was ‘Delhi Calling’ again as Trinamool Congress recommended Ritabrata Banerjee for a Rajya Sabha seat after the resignation of former MP Jawhar Sircar.

Earlier this year, Ritabrata Banerjee was named a candidate from the Uluberia Purba Assembly constituency. And he managed to win despite the BJP sweep of Bengal, in which many seasoned Trinamool leaders were trounced.

Shortly after his win, however, Ritabrata Banerjee became a talking point, not to the amusement of the Trinamool Congress leadership. A video of him crossing paths and exchanging pleasantries with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Delhi’s Banga Bhaban went viral. He later told the media that it was “courtesy” and asked if he should have ignored the Chief Minister’s greetings. He said he did not believe in “that kind of politics”.

The Crackdown

This morning, Chief Minister Adhikari said two Trinamool MLAs – Banerjee and Sandipan Saha – had informed Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose that they had not signed the Trinamool’s communication naming Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition in the House. The Chief Minister’s remark left Trinamool red-faced at a time when the alleged forgery of MLAs’ signatures is underway.

Soon after, the Trinamool issued statements, expelling Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha. “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,” a communication addressed to the MLAs said.

Without naming Ritabrata Banerjee, Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee told the media, “Someone who was earlier with CPM is doing it all. We gave him a ticket, depriving others. My apologies to those who were deprived.”

For Ritabrata Banerjee, this marks the end of his journey with Trinamool. But an end is also a new beginning. And all eyes are on his next move. For a leader who jumped from the Left to the Trinamool, and served as a member of the Rajya Sabha and the state Assembly within a decade, the possibilities are infinite.