Ritabrata Banerjee, one of the two Trinamool Congress MLAs expelled for alleged anti-party activities, has had one of the most dramatic political journeys in West Bengal politics.
From being a rising star in the CPM to becoming a Rajya Sabha MP and later a Trinamool Congress leader, Banerjee has repeatedly found himself at the centre of political controversies.
A Rapid Rise In The Left
An alumnus of Kolkata's South Point High School and Asutosh College, Ritabrata Banerjee first came into prominence as a student leader in the early 2000s. He rose through the ranks of the Students' Federation of India, eventually becoming its general secretary and leading the CPM's student wing for eight years.
Known to be close to late CPM stalwart Sitaram Yechury, Banerjee's rise was unusually swift for a party often reluctant to promote young leaders. At just 34, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the CPM, marking him as one of the Left's brightest young faces.
Controversy And Expulsion
His political ascent, however, came to an abrupt halt in 2017. The CPM suspended and later expelled Banerjee, citing anti-party activities and conduct allegedly inconsistent with the party's ideology. The move was widely viewed as part of an internal power struggle within the CPM.
The expulsion came shortly after Banerjee publicly criticised senior party leaders, including Prakash Karat and Mohammed Salim. Later that year, he became embroiled in a personal controversy after a research scholar accused him of rape on the false promise of marriage. Banerjee denied the allegations and accused the complainant of blackmail.
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The Trinamool Switch
After his exit from the CPM, Banerjee joined the Trinamool Congress and eventually headed the party's trade union wing. In 2024, he returned to Parliament as a Rajya Sabha member after being nominated by the party following Jawhar Sircar's resignation.
Earlier this year, Banerjee won the Uluberia Purba Assembly seat despite the BJP's sweeping victory in West Bengal.
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Fresh Trouble In TMC
His latest fallout with the Trinamool stems from allegations that signatures of MLAs were forged in a party communication endorsing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition. After Banerjee and fellow MLA Sandipan Saha reportedly raised objections, the party expelled both legislators.
With his second expulsion from a major political party in less than a decade, attention is now focused on Banerjee's next political move.
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