'Merger Will Only Happen If...': Abhishek Banerjee Dismisses Rebel MPs' Claim Of NCPI Alignment

Published 19 June 2026 · local

'Merger Will Only Happen If...': Abhishek Banerjee Dismisses Rebel MPs' Claim Of NCPI Alignment Published By, Last Updated: June 19, 2026, 20:12 IST A formal

'Merger Will Only Happen If...': Abhishek Banerjee Dismisses Rebel MPs' Claim Of NCPI Alignment Published By, Last Updated: June 19, 2026, 20:12 IST A formal approval for the merger of the rebel TMC faction, consisting of 20 MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, with the Tripura-based party remains pending with the LS Speaker TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee. (File Image: PTI) Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee said Friday that a merger can only happen if two-thirds of a party’s members agree to merge. He rejected the rebel MPs’ claim of having formally aligned with Tripura’s Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). Holding a copy of the Constitution, Banerjee –– widely viewed as the TMC’s heir –– argued that only the rebel MPs could tell why they chose to walk away. “…They (rebel MPs) can say anything.

This (constitution) will not be wrong. It is written here that the merger will happen only when two third party merge. Where did the merger happen? Twenty MPs left, right? Twenty MPs left. Why they left, only they can tell", he said, according to news agency ANI. #WATCH | Delhi: When asked who the real TMC is, TMC General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee said, “…They (rebel MPs) can say anything. This (constitution) will not be wrong. It is written here that the merger will happen only when two third party merge. Where did… pic.twitter.com/tWncFxDd8t— ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2026 The statement followed Banerjee’s meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over the proposal by a rebel faction of 20 MPs to merge with the NCPI and support the NDA in the Parliament. A formal approval for the merger of the rebel TMC faction –– consisting of 20 MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar –– with the Tripura-based party remains pending with the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Earlier, Speaker Om Birla had invited the TMC high command to present their stance before taking a final call on the matter. After Abhishek Banerjee wrote to the Speaker, urging him not to recognise any breakaway faction of the TMC, the Lok Sabha Secretariat wrote to him regarding a meeting to discuss the issue. How TMC Crisis Began In the aftermath of its bruising defeat in the recently-concluded West Bengal Assembly Election, Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faced an existential crisis with rebellion within the party. First, MLA Ritabrata Banerjee –– backed by a group of 58 legislators –– staked claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly. Later, a group of the party’s Lok Sabha MPs –– led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar –– wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker and declared their support for the BJP-ruled NDA.