India, June 5 -- Trinamool Congress founder Mamata Banerjee has launched a personal outreach to rebel and wavering legislators, and summoned a meeting at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata today, in an effort to halt further defections and hold together a party confronting the first split in its 28-year history.

Hit by an implosion after the BJP ended her 15-year-rule in Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, 71, has over the past two days telephoned several MLAs from Howrah, Murshidabad and North Dinajpur, party sources told news agency PTI. Many of them were seen at meetings of the rebel camp led by expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee.

The Ritabrata camp seized control of the TMC's legislature party on Wednesday after 58 of the party's 80 MLAs ba...