The implosion within the TMC – with 58 MLAs rebelling against the party’s choice of leader of opposition, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, and choosing rebel Ritabrata Banerjee – might resemble the crisis that eventually split the Shiv Sena and the NCP in Maharashtra, but there are clear differences. This is a far more murky situation though the legislators haven’t rebelled against Mamata Banerjee (yet), or formed their party, or claimed the two flowers symbol. Despite the speculation about the role of the BJP, the ruling party has officially reserved its reaction, though the benefits of having a Mamata-free Opposition is obvious. More importantly, Ritabrata Banerjee is neither a pan-state face nor a mass leader, unlike regional heavyweights like Shinde or Pawar.The desertions may be seen as the latest in a series of failures for the anti-defection law. (PTI)The desertions may be seen as the latest in a series of failures for the anti-defection law. With the rise of transactional, ideology-free politics – the rebellion is just 30 days after the same lawmakers won elections fought on the same TMC name and symbol – the survival of defectors has increasingly come to rely on the speaker’s ruling. This has created perverse incentives for defectors that the letter and the spirit of the law have failed to challenge.The TMC issue spotlights the generational crisis for regional parties that tasted extraordinary success over the last three decades, owing to charismatic leaders. This is an existential dilemma for parties like the RJD, BJD, TMC, Sena, NCP, even the DMK. The outfits, which survived hitherto because lawmakers coalesced around a strong leader, now face a stark choice between anointing a chosen successor (and triggering rebellion) or abandoning the respective first families (and risk unravelling). How they resolve this dilemma will determine the fate of regional parties in India.