TMC Rebel MPs Execute Strategic Political Takeover Through NCPI Merger, Seek Recognition Within NDA

The most prominent face of the rebellion, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, once regarded as one of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s closest associates, has been elected as the new president of NCPI. According to sources, the takeover was carried out through a mutual understanding between the rebel faction and the party leadership. Just two days before Dastidar’s elevation, NCPI’s then-president Shevli Kundu resigned from her position. Subsequently, on May 30, four-time Member of Parliament Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was officially elected president of the party.

On Sunday, the group of 20 rebel MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and formally informed him about their merger with NCPI. The move instantly brought the little-known political party into the national spotlight.

The roots of the rebellion lie in growing dissatisfaction within TMC over the role of Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of Mamata Banerjee and widely viewed as the party’s unofficial political successor. Rebel MPs have alleged that Abhishek Banerjee adopted an increasingly arrogant approach and sidelined the party’s internal organizational structure. According to the dissidents, this perceived unilateral functioning triggered widespread resentment among elected representatives and eventually culminated in the large-scale revolt.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not issued any official statement regarding the developments, the rebel MPs are understood to have received extensive support from senior leaders associated with the ruling establishment. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, and senior parliamentarian Nishikant Dubey reportedly played significant roles in discussions with the rebel faction and helped shape its future political strategy. Several crucial meetings involving the dissident group were reportedly held at the residence of Union Minister Bhupender Yadav.

In the merger letter submitted to Speaker Om Birla, the 20 MPs declared themselves part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). They argued that since they had previously been seated with the opposition as members of TMC, they should now be allotted seating arrangements alongside the ruling alliance in Parliament.

NCPI received recognition as a political party in January 2023. According to Election Commission records, the party is headquartered in Sankrail in West Bengal’s Howrah district. It is among more than 2,000 registered unrecognized political parties in the country. During the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections, the party fielded four candidates, with its best-performing candidate securing only 536 votes.

The rebellion has gained additional momentum with the inclusion of six-time Member of Parliament Sudip Bandyopadhyay, the most senior leader among the dissidents. He joined the faction shortly after Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was selected as president by NCPI’s Political Affairs Committee.

The future of this political realignment now rests largely on the decision of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. If the Speaker approves the merger, it would represent one of the most remarkable political transformations in recent parliamentary history. A party that until now had no representation in either Parliament or any state legislative assembly would overnight emerge as the fifth-largest party in the Lok Sabha and the second-largest constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance, fundamentally reshaping the parliamentary landscape.