A group of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs on Sunday formally joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), marking a sharp escalation in the internal split within the party and aligning themselves with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Parliament.
The move comes as the dissident MPs opted to bypass procedural hurdles involved in forming a separate parliamentary group in the Lok Sabha. According to sources, the MPs will now operate under the NCPI banner while continuing to extend support to the NDA at the Centre.
The NCPI, a relatively marginal political outfit with limited electoral presence, has seen negligible performance in states such as Tripura, where it contested two Assembly seats in 2023-Chawmanu and Kailashahar-securing just 822 votes, or 0.03 per cent of the total vote share.
Sunday’s development in Delhi marks a decisive phase in the ongoing political crisis within the TMC, which has been witnessing growing internal dissent over recent weeks. The rebel grouping had earlier sought recognition as a separate parliamentary faction in the Lok Sabha, triggering speculation about a formal split.
Also read: TMC rebels claim strength of 22, set to seek separate bloc status
Tensions within the party intensified after a document bearing signatures of 19 MPs surfaced last week, signalling coordinated dissent. On Sunday morning, senior MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar had claimed that the number of MPs in the rebel camp had risen to 22, though the formal alignment now stands at 20 MPs joining the NCPI.
Several prominent TMC MPs, including Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Shatabdi Roy, Arup Chakraborty, Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy, Bapi Halder and Prasoon Banerjee, were seen at meetings in Delhi ahead of their decision. Sources also indicated that BJP MP Nishikant Dubey was present during discussions involving the dissident group, alongside Union Minister Bhupender Yadav.
The rebellion is being attributed to growing dissatisfaction within sections of the party following recent political setbacks and internal differences over strategy and leadership. Many of the MPs are also said to be inclined towards supporting the NDA government’s legislative agenda.
With the formal merger into the NCPI, the internal rupture within the TMC has now taken an institutional shape, significantly altering the political equation for the party in Parliament and beyond.
By Pranab Mondal
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