20 rebel TMC MPs merge with NCPI, seek Lok Sabha Speaker approval to back NDA

Little-known Nationalist Citizens Party Set To Become Lok Sabha's 5th Largest Party After 20 Rebel TMC MPs Merge; Know Its RSS Link

New Delhi: At least 20 rebel MLAs of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and said that they have merged with Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), bolstering the National Democratic Alliance and setting the stage for what is reportedly one of the biggest defections in India’s parliamentary history.Merger under reviewNotably, NCPI doesn't have a single MP/MLA anywhere in the country. According to a Lok Sabha functionary, the Speaker will now review the signatures of 20 MPs before approving the merger.If the merger gets approved, the party will become the NDA's second-largest party in the lower house, and the NCPI will also become the fifth-largest party in the Lok Sabha.Rebel TMC MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at his residence, in Delhi todayAfter meeting him, Rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said, "We, the twenty MPs elected from the AITC, met the Speaker and submitted a letter requesting to sit separately; these twenty MPs constitute… pic.twitter.com/HTFttYCXdm— ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2026 About NCPIThe NCPI was registered with the Election Commission as a Registered Unrecognised Political Party (RUPP) on January 20, 2023, just weeks before the Tripura state elections. Despite being registered in Bengal, the party chose to make its electoral debut in Tripura.The party received total donations of just Rs 1.13 lakh, according to Election Commission records.RSS connectOne of the founding members of the NCPI is Sujit Dey, a social worker and a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, according to India Today report. As soon as the news of the merger broke out, he expressed his dissatisfaction in a telephonic conversation with India Today.Abhishek Banerjee Writes To Lok Sabha Speaker, Opposes Recognition Of Rebel TMC MPs "Our party fought fiercely against the TMC on the ground during the Tripura Assembly elections," Dey said.

3 hours ago

TMC rebels, with one MP above 2/3rd mark, eye merger with little-known regional party

In a dramatic development, 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs informed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that their group has merged with NCPI — which is registered in West Bengal’s Howrah and had contested a few seats in the 2023 Tripura assembly elections — and that they will be backing the BJP-led NDA. Incidentally, “to save your rights, reject political turncoats” was one of the slogans of NCPI.

11 hours ago