Two days after crossing over to the rebel camp led by Ritabrata Banerjee, senior TMC MLA Madan Mitra on Friday (July 17, 2026) made a surprise appearance at a protest organised by legislators loyal to Mamata Banerjee inside the West Bengal Assembly, underlining the fluidity of the Opposition camp’s escalating internal crisis. The Kamarhati MLA, who on Wednesday announced his allegiance to the Ritabrata-led faction while insisting he had not quit the TMC, walked into the ‘Kalighat’ camp’s sit-in demonstration in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk and demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET controversy. Also Read | Congress invites Mamata to July 21 event in Kolkata, asks her to admit quitting party was ‘mistake’ His presence at the protest caught many legislators by surprise and triggered a light-hearted exchange with senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, who has remained firmly with the Mamata Banerjee camp despite the party’s deepening split. Welcoming Mr. Mitra with a smile, Mr. Ghosh quipped that although the veteran MLA had “physically gone” to the rival camp, “his …