20 TMC MPs join Nationalist Citizens Party, back BJP-led NDA

A faction of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs announced on Sunday, June 14, that they have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India and pledged support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, triggering a major internal crisis within the party. The group, led by MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to submit a formal request for recognition of the merger, a move contested by the party's official leadership.

The parliamentary split mirrors a similar division in the West Bengal assembly, where 64 of the party's 80 MLAs broke away last week. The developments follow the TMC's defeat in the recent state assembly elections and represent a deepening battle for control of the party.

Speaker Om Birla is not expected to make an immediate decision on the rebels' request. Sources indicate he intends to hear both sides and examine all relevant facts, with a decision anticipated before the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which usually begins in the third week of July. To ensure any ruling can withstand judicial review, the Speaker's office is likely to seek written legal opinion from the Union Law Ministry.

The process has been complicated by a dispute over...