20 rebel TMC MPs merge with NCPI, seek support for BJP-led NDA

Following a rebellion against Trinamool, 20 MPs have joined the Nationalist Citizens’ Party of India (NCPI), with some being considered for Union council minister positions. While some MPs deny knowledge of ministerial berths, others express confusion about the party's future and symbol claims. One MP cited internal party issues as a reason for the split.

A little-known Bengal outfit, the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), has unexpectedly become a national political talking point after absorbing twenty rebel TMC Lok Sabha MPs. The party, with a modest financial history and a recent electoral debut in Tripura yielding only 822 votes, now claims to represent a significant parliamentary bloc.

Kolkata: A day after ‘rebel’ Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs merged with Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), NCPI took to social media to post that they have become the largest parliamentary force in West Bengal.According to the Facebook post, the total number of MPs with NCPI are 20, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 12, TMC have eight and the Congress has one in the Lok Sabha and one seat is vacant.“With 20 Lok Sabha seats, NCPI emerges as the largest parliamentary force from West Bengal shaping the state’s voice at the national level. The numbers speak for themselves,” read the post.Notably, according to NCPI sources, veteran TMC MP Sudip Bandhopadhyay and Sharmila Sarkar are likely to be part of the Union Ministry.TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar’s Son Sends Legal Notice To Mamata Banerjee, Senior Leaders According to the local, NCPI office in rural Horah is being administered by a couple Uttiyo Kundu and his wife Shewly Kundu. Talking to the media, Shewly has expressed her happiness that the TMC MPs have merged with NCPI.TMC MP Shatabdi Ray said that she could not speak about her ‘grief’ within the party.“When a joint family breaks up, the head should try to keep everyone together. This never happened in TMC. In 2009 when TMC was having a tough time, I was in TMC. For the last 17 years there was much grief that fumed in my heart,” said Shatabdi.

20 rebel MPs of Trinamool Congress have announced their decision to merge with NCPI. The MPs met the Speaker of Lok Sabha Om Birla in Delhi on Sunday and submitted a letter to that effect

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.

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.