NEW DELHI : In a major political development that further deepened the crisis within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), rebel MPs are set to merge the group with the Nationalist Citizens Party (NCP), top sources of Times Now reported. The move comes amid an escalating confrontation between the TMC leadership and a dissident camp of MPs, which has been holding a series of meetings in New Delhi.
Earlier in the day, members of the rebel group met at the residence of Union minister and senior BJP leader Bhupender Yadav before proceeding to the residence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Sources indicate that the rebel MPs have finalised their plan to sever ties with the Mamata Banerjee-led party and are set to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party. In addition to this, the rebel camp will extend its support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and will work for the nation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is a Tripura-based registered unrecognised party that does not enjoy any significant political presence. It had contested from three seats in the 2023 Tripura polls, with its candidates finishing either behind NOTA or securing only a few votes more.
The development is expected to have significant implications for the TMC’s strength in Parliament and could trigger a fresh round of political realignments.
Rebels Confirm Merger
Confirming the merger, TMC rebel MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said, “We have joined the Nationalist Citizens Party. This is a political party. It is a recognised regional party. We have merged with it… It will be decided in the court which one the real TMC is.”
After meeting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar informed that the 20 MPs on Sunday met the Speaker and submitted a letter requesting to sit separately. “These 20 MPs constitute more than two-thirds of our total strength. We are merging with the Nationalist Citizens Party. Moving forward, we will work for the nation and collaborate with the NDA under the leadership of the Prime Minister.”
The development comes after TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla surfaced, in which he urged him to recognise the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) as a single political party represented only through its authorised Leader and Whip, and not accord recognition to any separate faction claiming to represent the party.
