NCPI MP Claims 17 Lawmakers May Join BJP Before Festival

A Member of Parliament from the Nationalist Citizen Party of India (NCPI) has claimed that a large majority of his party's lawmakers plan to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the upcoming Durga Puja festival. The assertion, which has not been independently verified, comes amid rising political tensions in his home constituency. Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, the NCPI MP for Cooch Behar, made the statement in an interview on September 14, 2026. He stated that 17 out of the 20 NCPI MPs could join the BJP before the festival. Basunia, who recently switched to the NCPI from Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC), also alleged that the BJP was initially behind the group's move from the TMC to the NCPI. According to Basunia, three minority MPs from the party would not directly join the BJP. He named Abu Taher and Khalilur Rahman, stating they would instead be given separate departments and would support the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Basunia explained this was due to the large minority populations in their constituencies, which could create difficulties for them if they formally joined the BJP.