Are Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy in TMC rebel camp? Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar’s cryptic ‘yes’

This comes amid daylong speculation that 33-year-old Saayoni Ghosh, a close confidante of both TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, and 68-year-old Mala Roy have joined the rebel camp led by Dastidar in the Lok Sabha.

Asked about this, Dastidar replied cryptically in a text message: “Yes.”

A senior TMC leader aligned with Mamata Banerjee, however, expressed surprise. Referring to Ritabrata Banerjee breaking away with over 60 of the 80 newly elected TMC MLAs in the Assembly, the leader said: “Even after the revolt by the MLAs in the party, Mamata Banerjee retained Sayoni Ghosh as president of TMC’s youth wing. Mala Roy, who was chairperson of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), was appointed president of the party’s women wing by Mamata. It would be surprising if these leaders join the rebel group.”

On Monday, 20 of 28 TMC Lok Sabha MPs, led by Ghosh Dastidar, told Speaker Om Birla that they wanted to join the BJP-led NDA after snapping ties with the TMC parliamentary party, led by its national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee.

However, it is not yet clear who all are on the list of 20.

Among the 13 Rajya Sabha members from TMC, two – Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Sushmita Dev – have officially resigned.

Saayoni Ghosh – Mamata and Abhishek’s confidante

In the run-up to the Assembly elections this year, actor-turned-politician Saayoni Ghosh gained traction both on the ground and online with her fiery speeches – laced with poetry and marked and sharp attacks on the BJP

Ghosh, who claimed to be a “full-time actor” before 2021 and a “full-time politician” afterwards, got rave reviews for her performances in films such as Rajkahani (2015), Byomkesh O Chiriakhana (2016), and Astey Ladies (2019). Even at the peak of her acting career, she took part in public discussions on political topics.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, she contested on a TMC ticket from the Asansol South constituency but was defeated by BJP’s Agnimitra Paul. However, the TMC leadership trusted her and appointed her president of the TMC’s youth wing, succeeding Abhishek Banerjee.

Ghosh, hardly a reticent politician, chose to voice her opinions loudly, harnessing social media to present her takes on national issues and establishing the party line effectively. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Ghosh was fielded from the high-profile Jadavpur constituency in Kolkata, the very seat that had launched Mamata Banerjee to the national stage in 1984. Ghosh emerged victorious and made her debut in the Lok Sabha.

In the just-concluded Assembly elections, she emerged as TMC’s star campaigner, campaigning extensively for the party across the state.

Ghosh’s speeches evoked strong reactions from top BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, who termed it “theatrics”.

Mala Roy: Congress to TMC to Congress to TMC

The veteran politician began her career in Congress. She was one of the early leaders of Congress who joined Mamata Banerjee when she founded the Trinamool Congress in 1998. Once considered a close confidante of Mamata, Roy became a fierce critic when she quit the party in 2005 to rejoin the Congress. Ten years later, she returned to the TMC and became chairperson of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Roy was fielded as a TMC candidate from the Kolkata South constituency, which was represented by Mamata Banerjee six times. She has been an MP from the seat since then.