Ritabrata camp alleges bid to loot Trinamool affidavits near Haryana

Ritabrata Banerjee's faction alleged an attempt to seize its affidavit truck near Haryana. The charge intensifies the rival camps' fight for the Trinamool name and symbol.Stock photo used for illustrationKolkata,Oct 26, 2026 20:00 ISTDemocratic Trinamool Congress leader Ritabrata Banerjee on Monday accused the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress faction of attempting to loot a truck carrying affidavits to the Election Commission in New Delhi, news agency Press Trust of India reported. He said an alleged attempt at organised loot by “despots” would not succeed.The allegation comes amid a dispute between the two factions of West Bengal's former ruling party over control of its name and election symbol. The Mamata Banerjee camp rejected the charge as baseless.Ritabrata Banerjee said his faction had sent the documents by road on October 24 to meet the deadline for submitting evidence to the Election Commission, while the Mamata Banerjee camp transported its affidavits on a chartered flight on Sunday evening.He alleged that unidentified people tried to take control of the truck and snatch the documents near the Haryana border early on Monday. Workers accompanying the consignment resisted the alleged attempt, he said. In a post on X, Banerjee said, “Chartered Flight has carried Kalighat's affidavits to Delhi on October 25 evening. Our affidavits are being transported to Delhi by road. Our workers have started with our documents on October 24 morning for depositing in ECI.”“Half an hour ago there were attempts to take control of the truck and snatch our documents. Our workers have resisted bravely. The fight is on. A fight between Chartered Culture versus Grass Root resolve. Despots will not succeed in their attempt at organised loot in every sphere,” he added in the early-morning post. MLA Akhruzzaman, who is aligned with the Ritabrata Banerjee faction, said the alleged targeting of the truck near the Haryana border raised suspicion that the Mamata Banerjee faction, commonly known as the Kalighat camp, was behind it.Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen of the Mamata Banerjee-led faction dismissed the allegation and said the people were the ultimate judge. Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee also questioned the route allegedly taken by the vehicle.“The Ritabrata-led outfit enjoys protection of the central police force. How can the truck be seized when it is protected by the CRPF jawans? Also, why would a truck travelling from Kolkata to Delhi take a Haryana detour?” Kalyan Banerjee said, according to PTI.“These are all drama hatched by the faction which enjoys the support of the BJP top brass. Their allegation is utterly baseless,” he added.The exchange comes amid an escalating battle between the rival factions following the party's split after the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The Ritabrata Banerjee-led group has claimed majority support among the party's elected legislators and is seeking recognition as the original Trinamool Congress.The Election Commission has frozen the party's name and symbol until it resolves the competing claims. The two factions are operating under separate identities in the meantime.In a September 28 direction, the Supreme Court asked both camps to submit affidavits to the Election Commission within four weeks in support of their claims. On Monday, the court gave both factions another 20 days to complete their pleadings before the poll panel, PTI reported. The commission is expected to examine the submissions before deciding the dispute.The controversy has also led to counter-allegations. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction has accused the state police and administration of helping the rival group collect declarations, alleging that people were being forced to sign affidavits on stamp papers.The faction wrote to senior state police officials on October 14 and to the state's chief secretary the next day, warning of legal action over the alleged irregularities.Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of using money and intimidation to influence party workers. She also alleged that the police and administrative machinery were being used to obstruct her faction's efforts to submit documents to the Election Commission.“Police atrocities have reached an extreme level. The EC has asked us to submit our documents, but the government is handing over legal papers, stamp papers and affidavits to the police so that all avenues are closed to us,” she alleged.The dispute now centres on the rival factions' submissions to the Election Commission, which will examine their claims over the Trinamool Congress name and symbol after the Supreme Court's extension of the filing period.- Ends