The TMC, founded by Mamata Banerjee on 1 January 1998, rose to power after ending the 34-year rule of the Left Front in 2011. Banerjee previously served as Railway Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and also held a ministerial position during the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance government. Despite its long-standing dominance in West Bengal politics, the party is currently witnessing a phase of internal turbulence following recent electoral developments.
After the conclusion of the West Bengal assembly election, the party has faced a continuous wave of defections, with several legislators and Members of Parliament resigning and publicly expressing dissatisfaction with the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee. The latest and most significant development occurred when 20 rebel TMC MPs formally merged with NCPI, a move that surprised political observers who had anticipated their eventual alignment with the BJP.
According to Election Commission records, the Nationalist Citizens Party of India was established in 2023 by Uttiya Kundu and Sheuli Kundu, a husband-and-wife duo. Uttiya Kundu serves as the party president, while Sheuli Kundu is registered as the treasurer. Financial disclosures submitted to the Election Commission show that the party had only 75 rupees in cash at the end of the 2022–23 fiscal year and received total donations amounting to 113,000 rupees during the same period. In the 2023 Tripura assembly elections, the party fielded four candidates and secured approximately 1,198 votes. Following the election, the party reportedly became inactive.
Political analysts note that the rebel MPs had initially declared support for the NDA, leading to expectations that they would formally join the BJP. However, the decision to merge with NCPI has raised questions about legal compliance and strategic intent.
The development is closely linked to the provisions of India’s Anti-Defection Law under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. The law mandates that a merger is legally valid only if at least two-thirds of the members of a legislative party agree to it. The earlier provision allowing a one-third split was removed through a 2003 amendment. Analysts suggest that direct entry into the BJP could have exposed the MPs to legal and procedural risks under the anti-defection framework. By merging with a smaller political entity, the MPs appear to have secured legal protection while maintaining organizational control.
Observers also point to political optics in West Bengal, where direct association with the BJP can carry electoral and ideological consequences. By aligning with a minor party rather than joining a major national force directly, the rebel MPs appear to be positioning themselves as an alternative political bloc while maintaining distance from established party structures.
The merger has effectively transformed NCPI from an inactive micro-party into a new focal point of political attention, reshaping the narrative around dissent within TMC and raising fresh questions about the future alignment of rebel leaders in West Bengal’s evolving political landscape.
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