Key facts
- Twenty Lok Sabha MPs from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
- The rebel MPs have pledged support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
- The merger, if approved by the Lok Sabha Speaker, would significantly increase the NCPI's parliamentary representation.
- The NCPI was previously an obscure party with minimal electoral footprint and financial resources.
- The move has caused internal dissent within the TMC, with some MPs questioning party chief Mamata Banerjee's leadership.
Twenty Lok Sabha MPs from India's Trinamool Congress (TMC) have announced a merger with the previously obscure Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and pledged support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). This move, if approved by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, would dramatically alter the parliamentary landscape, elevating the NCPI from a registered unrecognised political party with minimal electoral presence and financial resources to the fifth-largest party in the Lok Sabha and the NDA's second-largest constituent.
The rebellion within the TMC has led to internal dissent, with rebel MP Arup Chakraborty questioning party chief Mamata Banerjee's leadership. TMC MP Kirti Azad has condemned the rebel MPs, calling them 'traitors' and the NCPI 'unrecognised'. The TMC has informed the Lok Sabha Speaker of its stance.
The NCPI, registered in January 2023, had a reported cash balance of just Rs 75 at the end of the 2022-23 financial year, with its donations and expenditures reflecting a shoestring operation. Its electoral debut in the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections saw minimal success.
Questions have arisen regarding the decision-making process within the NCPI, with its founder president Shewly Kundu stepping down and the national organisation general secretary Shantanu Dey expressing surprise at the announcement. The Speaker's ruling on the merger will determine the immediate political future of the NCPI.