Signature row intensifies as Sovandeb Chattopadhyay releases records from two Kalighat meetings

Sovandeb Chattopadhyay has released documents related to two meetings of Trinamool Congress MLAs held at Kalighat on May 6 and May 19 under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. The records contain details of attendance, signatures of legislators, discussions held during the meetings, and the names of MLAs who reportedly wrote their names in block letters instead of signing. The documents have been released amid an ongoing controversy over the authenticity of signatures submitted in connection with the selection of the Leader of the Opposition.

According to the records, 67 MLAs attended the May 6 meeting held at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street. The document states that members recorded their attendance through signatures in either Bengali or English while also mentioning their constituencies and the date. The released records show that Maheshtala MLA Subhasish Das, Bolpur MLA Chandranath Singh, Kharagpur MLA Dinen Roy and Canning East MLA Baharul Islam wrote their names in block letters instead of signing. The document is titled as a list of members present at a meeting regarding the selection of the Trinamool Legislature Party’s Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Leader and Chief Whip.

The records further state that the May 6 meeting was chaired by Firhad Hakim, whose name was proposed by Arup Roy and seconded by Chandranath Singh. During the meeting, Madan Mitra proposed the name of Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Legislative Party. According to the document, all members present supported the proposal, while those absent were also recorded as having conveyed their support.

Sovandeb Chattopadhyay’s documents also indicate that 59 MLAs signed attendance records during a subsequent meeting held on May 19. The released papers show that some legislators again wrote their names in block letters instead of signing. The developments come against the backdrop of allegations that signatures on documents submitted to the Assembly Speaker had been forged. Complaints regarding the matter were earlier submitted by Uluberia East MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and Entally MLA Sandipan Saha, after which the investigation was handed over to the CID. Investigators have since collected handwriting samples from multiple MLAs.

Following their expulsion from the party, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha became central figures in the dispute. A separate letter reportedly signed by 59 MLAs was later submitted to the Speaker seeking Ritabrata Banerjee’s appointment as Leader of the Opposition, resulting in his recognition for the post. Responding to the release of the documents, Ritabrata stated that the investigation was ongoing and said forensic examination and verification of legislators’ tower locations would help establish the facts. He also questioned whether the released papers were attendance sheets or proposal documents and pointed to differences in the appearance of certain pages while raising questions about the purpose of their release.