Saayoni Ghosh, who backed Mamata for future PM, likely to join rebel TMC camp: Who is she?

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) rebel camp of MPs appears to have added another name to its list. Saayoni Ghosh, the vocal and fierce TMC lawmaker, has reportedly joined the rebel faction led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar.

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is facing the biggest test of her political career as an internal rebellion has gripped her party. Now, she may lose another young leader’s support as Saayoni Ghosh switches loyalties.

But who is she? We take a look.

Who is Saayoni Ghosh?

Saayoni Ghosh, 33, is the Trinamool MP from Jadavpur. As a Bengali film actor, she earned laurels for her performances in films like Rajkahani (2015), Byomkesh O Chiriakhana (2016) and Astey Ladies (2019).

Saayoni joined Mamata’s party ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.

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At the time, TMC fielded her from the Asansol Dakshin Assembly seat against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Agnimitra Paul. However, Saayoni lost the election by just over 4,400 votes.

Speaking to The Quint about her entry into politics then, the young TMC leader had said: “I have always been an independent actor. I was not the type who would sit in a caravan or in the AC. Even when Didi [Mamata Banerjee] asked me if I want to do politics, I told her yes I want to do it, but not while sitting in an air-conditioned room. I wanted to be on the road and do politics like her. She walks! She’s a streetfighter. This was the best way that I could do it.”

According to Saayoni, her entry into politics was not a “fluke”. “Many people think actors who take political plunge are not serious about serving people. I am here to prove this myth wrong,” Saayoni told Indian Express in 2024.

Even though she failed to win the 2021 Assembly polls, Saayoni was picked as TMC’s youth wing president in Bengal. She gained limelight as an election campaigner due to her fiery speeches targeting the BJP as well as vocal public support for Mamata Banerjee.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the TMC gave a ticket to Saayoni, who was then 31, from the Jadavpur constituency. It was the same seat from where Mamata had made her debut in the 1984 polls, defeating CPI(M) stalwart Somnath Chatterjee.

The then West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Supremo Mamata Banerjee dances during a public meeting in favour of party candidate from Jadavpur constituency Saayoni Ghosh for Lok Sabha polls, in Kolkata, May 26, 2024. File Photo/PTI

Saayoni won the prestigious seat after which she started viewing herself as a “full-time politician”, as per Indian Express. 

The Jadavpur MP went viral during the recent election campaigning for her party for the West Bengal Assembly polls. Her video reciting prayers of different religions from the campaign stage was widely shared online.

The young TMC leader also came to be associated with "Kaaba" and "Medina" because of a campaign speech in which she sang the line: “Mere dil mein hai Kaaba, aur mere aankhon mein Medina [Kaaba is in my heart, Madina in my eyes]".

She sang the line during an election rally to project communal harmony.

In April, the BJP lashed out at Saayoni after she took a dig at former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha for joining the saffron party. She used the word “Chaddi [underpants]” to refer to his switch. The BJP then hit out at her, accusing Saayoni of making remarks that allegedly insulted Sikh and Punjabi communities.

Ahead of the recently held elections in the eastern state, the TMC MP pitched Mamata as a future prime minister.

After the TMC lost power on May 4, Saayoni claimed there was "stealing of votes" and that Mamata’s party had not been defeated. "We have not lost, but Mamata Banerjee has been defeated by stealing and looting of votes. In 2029, the people of Bengal, the people of the entire country, and in 2031, the mothers, land, and people of West Bengal will give a befitting reply," she said.

Is Saayoni Ghosh leaving Mamata’s side?

There are reports that Saayoni Ghosh has extended support to the rebel TMC camp led by Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, which has offered support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

She contacted Dastidar and signed documents backing the breakaway TMC faction, sources told News18. They said Saayoni believes she “no longer has a political future” within Mamata’s party.

According to sources close to the Jadavpur MP, she was unhappy with the TMC over the alleged lack of support from the party leadership when she came under attack during the election campaigning. She reportedly felt isolated at the time, claiming that nobody from the party stood by her.

Saayoni was also allegedly told to curtail her campaign, which further added to her dissatisfaction with the organisation, they said.

If Saayoni ends up ditching Mamata, it would be a shocking move, given she was recently appointed chief of the TMC's women’s wing.

While Saayoni is yet to comment on the matter, people familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times that she may already have picked a side and is now with the rebel group.

The Jadavpur MP is part of the reported 19 TMC MPs who have sought to form a separate bloc in Parliament.

As per NDTV sources, Saayoni is not in Kolkata currently but might be in Delhi, where the rebel MPs have been camping.

Mala Roy, another MP and close confidant of Mamata Banerjee, has also reportedly flown in to Delhi and joined hands with the rebel camp.

This is the latest blow to the former Bengal chief minister, who is witnessing rebellion from both party MPs and MLAs.

Earlier on Wednesday, Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev resigned from the party and stepped down from the Upper House. She has become the second TMC MP in a week to quit after former Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy.

With inputs from agencies