TMC rebels join obscure Tripura-based NCPI, chart 'separate' political course

The split in the Trinamool Congress became formal on Sunday as the party's rebel MPs joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a little-known political outfit from Tripura, instead of merging directly with the BJP.

The move gives the obscure party, which was founded only in 2023 and has so far had a limited presence in Tripura and Assam, an unexpected foothold in West Bengal and a sizeable presence in Parliament overnight.

The decision follows days of speculation over the future of the dissident MPs. While many expected them to join the BJP or seek recognition as a separate Trinamool faction, the rebels instead chose the NCPI route, a move widely seen as a way of avoiding legal complications under the anti-defection law while maintaining political proximity to the BJP-led NDA.

The rebel MPs met Union minister Bhupender Yadav in Delhi before approaching Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla with a letter seeking recognition under the NCPI banner.

The development marks a complete political break from Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee. Leaders including Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy, Rachna Banerjee, Dev and several other dissident MPs are now set to function under a new political identity.

According to sources, the rebels had initially explored the possibility of claiming to be the "real" Trinamool Congress parliamentary group or functioning as a separate bloc within Parliament. However, legal objections raised by the Trinamool and the possibility of a prolonged dispute before Parliament's monsoon session prompted a change in strategy.

Instead, the MPs opted to join the NCPI, a relatively unknown party that maintains friendly relations with the NDA but has remained largely on the margins of national politics since its formation.

Sources said contacts were established with several registered political parties before the NCPI was selected. The party's Bengali-oriented political positioning and existing organisational structure are understood to have weighed in its favour.

After meeting the Speaker, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar confirmed the move. "We have sought separate seating arrangements. We informed the Speaker that we are joining the Nationalist Party. Twenty elected Trinamool MPs met the Speaker and submitted our letter. Twenty MPs constitute two-thirds of the parliamentary party. We are joining the Nationalist Party and will work in coordination with the NDA leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," she said.

She also announced that the NCPI would soon establish an organisational presence in West Bengal. "The decision has been taken. The letter has been submitted. A party office will be opened and we will work for the people," she said.

Political observers see the move as a carefully calibrated strategy that allows the rebels to formally sever ties with the Trinamool Congress without immediately joining the BJP.

The arrangement also addresses concerns within sections of the West Bengal BJP, where there had reportedly been reservations about a mass induction of former Trinamool MPs.

For the NCPI, the development represents an extraordinary political leap. A party that until now had remained largely unknown outside parts of Tripura and Assam suddenly finds itself at the centre of one of the biggest political realignments in West Bengal in recent years.

With media inputs