Bengal Politics: 17 Rebel TMC Parliamentarians of NCPI Set to Join BJP Soon, Claims MP Jagadish Basunia
KOLKATA: In a sensational development that could trigger another massive political realignment in West Bengal, rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Cooch Behar Lok Sabha Member Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia on Monday made a shocking claim. Basunia announced that 17 out of the 20 parliamentarians aligned with the newly formed Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) are fully prepared to officially merge into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to his statement, the high-profile political defection is planned to materialize either right before or immediately following the festive season of Durga Puja.
The backdrop of this major structural split stems from the crushing defeat suffered by the Mamata Banerjee-led ruling party in the previous Bengal polls, which led to a historic breakaway of its parliamentary strength. Faction leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar had initially led 20 dissident Lok Sabha members to merge with the little-known NCPI back on June 14, extending external support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The Game of Two-Thirds Majority and the Stance of Minority MPs
Explaining the legal mathematics behind this upcoming shift, MP Basunia confidently stated that moving 17 members simultaneously will keep them safe from any penalty under the strict anti-defection law, as they constitute well over the mandatory two-thirds majority of the 20-member NCPI faction. “We are seventeen members going together to the BJP, so disqualification laws will not apply to our movement,” Basunia asserted. He further revealed that the group originally wanted to join the saffron camp straight away in June, but had to choose the NCPI route because three minority MPs were uncomfortable with a direct saffron integration.
Elaborating on the status of those three remaining minority parliamentarians—Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahaman, and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan—Basunia claimed they will not formally sign the saffron registry due to the distinct administrative and demographic dynamics of their respective constituencies. Instead, they will continue to firmly back the NDA administration from the outside and might be considered for crucial organizational portfolios or ministerial responsibilities later on.
Ground Backlash and Flat Denials from Leadership
However, this explosive announcement has instantly triggered severe political counter-reactions across the state. The West Bengal BJP unit has cautiously chosen to distance itself from Basunia’s public remarks. State BJP Chief Samik Bhattacharya reacted coldly, clarifying that the party holds its own strict screening protocols and will not randomly induct anyone merely because they express a desire to hop over. Simultaneously, the mainstream Mamata Banerjee camp reacted with absolute fury, slamming the dissident faction as political opportunists and traitors who have completely compromised their core principles for personal gains.
The legal battlefield also remains heavily contested. Currently, the official Lok Sabha Secretariat records still maintain the names of all 20 breakaway politicians under the main TMC list, as their separate recognition as a unique NCPI group hasn’t been finalized. TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee has already knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court of India demanding an urgent fast-tracked judgment on his pending disqualification pleas. Meanwhile, Speaker Om Birla has extended the official reply window for the served disqualification notices until September 22. On the ground, the friction has turned physical, as Basunia and his wife, TMC MLA Sangeeta Roy, recently faced aggressive public demonstrations and protests upon returning to Cooch Behar, where a party branch office was reportedly set on fire during the intense local chaos.