Meet NCPI: The little-known party at centre of TMC rebellion could become NDA's second-largest ally
TMC MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Satabdi Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Mala Roy, Yusuf Pathan, and others meet Union minister and BJP leader Bhupender Yadav at his
TMC MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Satabdi Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Mala Roy, Yusuf Pathan, and others meet Union minister and BJP leader Bhupender Yadav at his residence, in New Delhi. Why are the rebels merging with NCPI? Who are the 20 rebel MPs? What is NCPI? What are the rebels saying? What is TMC saying? What is BJP saying? What happens next? NEW DELHI: A little-known political outfit that struggled to make an impact in the 2023 Tripura assembly elections has suddenly found itself at the centre of rebellion within the Trinamool Congress (TMC).Dissident MPs on Sunday announced their merger with the lesser-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking a separate seating arrangement in the House, even as TMC parliamentary party leader Abhishek Banerjee urged the Speaker not to accord any recognition to the breakaway faction.The move marks the latest escalation in the political crisis engulfing the Mamata Banerjee-led party after its crushing defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections. The rebels have also pledged support to the NDA in Parliament.If accepted, the merger would transform NCPI from a little-known regional outfit into a parliamentary bloc of 20 MPs, making it the fourth-largest party in the Lok Sabha and the second-largest constituent within the NDA after BJP.The rebel MPs appear to have chosen the merger route to navigate the anti-defection law, which does not recognise a split within a party but permits a merger when at least two-thirds of a party's legislators join another party.The dissident camp claims that 20 of the Trinamool Congress's 28 Lok Sabha MPs have backed the move, comfortably crossing the two-thirds threshold required under the law.
The group has also sought a separate seating arrangement in the Lok Sabha.While some rebel leaders continue to favour staking claim to the Trinamool Congress name and symbol in the future, merging with NCPI is being viewed as a legally safer route ahead of the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.The rebel bloc comprises:1. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar2. Satabdi Roy3. Bapi Haldar4. Sharmila Sarkar5. Sharmila Bandyopadhyay6. Jagadish Barma Basunia7. Asit Kumar Mal8. Arup Chakraborty9. Rachna Banerjee10. Saayoni Ghosh11. Khalilur Rahaman12. Abu Taher Khan13. Yusuf Pathan14. Mitali Bag15. Mala Roy16. Kalipada Soren17. Deepak Adhikari18. June Malia19. Partha Bhowmick20. Sudip BandyopadhyayAccording to rebel MP Arup Chakraborty, first-time MP Saayoni Ghosh is likely to lead the group in Parliament."Saayoni Ghosh is our leader. Under the leadership of Bengal's CM, our double-engine government wants to work for the interest of the nation. If BJP asks for our help, we will help them. If we want their help, we will ask for it," Chakraborty said.The Nationalist Citizens Party of India is a registered but unrecognised political party whose office is in Howrah, West Bengal. Its president is listed as Sheuli Kundu, an advocate practising at the Calcutta High Court.The party shot into the spotlight after the merger announcement, but its electoral record remains modest.NCPI contested the 2023 Tripura assembly elections under the slogan: "To save your rights, reject political turncoats. Support social workers, not political personalities."The party fielded candidates in three constituencies, Chawamanu, Ambassa and Kailashahar, after another candidate's nomination was rejected during scrutiny. Its election symbol was a pen nib.Its best-known candidate, Barjeda Tripura, secured just 536 votes in Chawamanu, narrowly ahead of NOTA's tally of 500 votes. Speaking to PTI after learning about the merger, the 62-year-old daily wage labourer expressed surprise."I contested in 2023.
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