Kolkata: The All India Trinamool Congress officially expelled two MLAs, Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee, on Monday, citing their alleged involvement in anti-party activities.

The political dismissals were executed minutes after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari disclosed during a press conference at the state secretariat that the two legislators had initiated formal complaints regarding a "fake signature" controversy within the state assembly. The underlying dispute involves the TMC's official endorsement of Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay to serve as the Leader of the Opposition.

"It has been brought to the notice of the All India Trinamool Congress through its competent authority that, despite having been elected as 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 formal notification distributed to the two lawmakers stated.

The official correspondence, bearing the signature of party Vice President Chandrima Bhattacharya, further rebuked the expelled members for their recent public conduct.

"It has also been observed that you have engaged in activities and made statements that are prejudicial to the interests of AITC," the directive added.

Following an internal evaluation of the infractions, the communication clarified that the "competent authority of the AITC has decided to expel you from the (primary) membership of the party with immediate effect."

The structural fracture within the opposition party occurs as the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department proceeds with a forensic probe into the suspected deployment of forged signatures belonging to party legislators. The disputed signatures were embedded within an official document transmitted to the Assembly Secretariat to validate Chattopadhyay’s appointment to the legislative leadership post.

With inputs from PTI