A little-known political party active primarily in Tripura has become the home base for rebel Trinamool Congress MPs. The Nationalist Citizens Party of India had contested the 2023 Tripura assembly elections under the slogan “reject political turncoats to save your rights” — fielding candidates for three seats but securing only a handful of votes. The registered unrecognised party has now welcomed 20 Lok Sabha MPs from the TMC into its ranks after an unlikely ‘merger’. 

“Two-thirds MPs of TMC have given a letter to the Speaker for a separate seating arrangement. We will merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India and support the NDA,” PTI quoted rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as saying.

The dissident camp said Speaker Om Birla had verified the signatures of the 20 MPs backing the representation during their meeting on Sunday evening. The update came even as TMC parliamentary party leader Abhishek Banerjee urged Birla not to accord any recognition to the breakaway faction. 

‘Will demand TMC in July’

But the merger appears to be a short-term goal as the rebels moved to claim the TMC party and its symbol. According to a PTI report, several of the dissident MPs told reporters on Sunday that they would take a call on their next step at the “right time”. They added that the rebel faction would demand the party name in July and “have a separate block in the next Lok Sabha session”.

“We have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party…This is the system. When you leave with 2/3rd of the party, you cannot demand the name of that party on the first day itself… In July, we will make a demand to give us Trinamool. Then the court will decide. Court will decide later who is the real TMC,” Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay told reporters. 

What do we know about NCPI?

The Nationalist Citizens Party of India is a Tripura-based registered unrecognised party that does not enjoy any significant political presence. It had contested from three seats in the 2023 Tripura Assembly election — with candidates finishing either behind NOTA or securing only a few votes more. The nomination of its Karamchara candidate Rita Shil Halam was reportedly rejected after scrutiny.

“To save your rights, reject political turncoats. Support social workers, not political personalities” PTI quoted the NCPI as urging in campaign posters. 

The party holds a registered address from Howrah in West Bengal. According to a PTI update, an individual named Sheuli Kundu, who calls herself an advocate practising in the Calcutta High Court, is listed as its president. Registered Unrecognised Political Parties are those acknowledged by the Election Commission but have not yet met the criteria to be recognised as state or national parties.  

News of a Lok Sabha merger came as a surprise to former candidates, with PTI reporting that Chawamanu nominee Barjeda Tripura had expressed disbelief after being told that a group of Lok Sabha MPs had just joined the party that once fielded him. The daily wage labourer had secured 536 votes in the election.

“I contested in 2023. What has happened three years later now? In 2023, a person called Krishna Debbarma had reached out to me about elections. So I contested. Many years ago, I was a supporter of the Congress,” he told PTI.