NEW DELHI: A lesser-known regional outfit that barely registered on India’s political radar has suddenly emerged as one of the most significant players in the Parliament after 20 rebel TMC MPs announced their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
The dramatic development has transformed the six-year-old party from a marginal political formation into the second-largest ally in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), reshaping the parliamentary landscape and intensifying the crisis within the TMC.
Founded in 2020, the NCPI was initially conceived as a platform focused on tribal welfare, nationalism and governance reforms. Though headquartered in Howrah, West Bengal, the party built its early organisational presence in Tripura, where it sought to position itself as an alternative to both the BJP and the Left.
Party documents with the ECI list Shewly Kundu as the treasurer. The party’s president is Uttiya Kundu, husband of Shewly Kundu. In one Facebook post, Uttiya Kundu shared a picture with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Registered with the Election Commission as a Registered Unrecognised Political Party (RUPP) in January 2023, the NCPI made its electoral debut in the Tripura Assembly elections the same year. The results were not that encouraging.
The NCPI fielded candidates in seven constituencies, though nominations in four seats were rejected and finally its candidates contested only two seats, securing a combined 822 votes.
Including an NCPI-backed independent candidate, the broader electoral effort garnered just 1,198 votes, with none of the candidates coming close to victory and their deposits were forfeited.
The Election Commission records also indicate that the party reported donations of only Rs 1.13 lakh, underscoring its modest organisational and financial footprint.
But, the scenario changed overnight with the defection of 20 TMC MPs, a group constituting more than two-thirds of the party’s Lok Sabha strength joining the outfit. The rebel lawmakers met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and formally sought separate seating arrangements before announcing their merger with NCPI.
Speaking after the meeting, rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said the group had submitted a letter seeking recognition as a separate parliamentary bloc and would work alongside the NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The merger was later confirmed by senior TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who acknowledged that the dissident faction had joined NCPI.
The sudden influx of MPs has elevated NCPI from a virtually invisible political outfit into a party with a significant parliamentary presence and national relevance. For the NDA, the move represents a major political gain in eastern India and further weakens one of its principal rivals ahead of future electoral battles.
As attention shifts to NCPI’s leadership and future direction, the party now faces a new challenge: converting its unexpected parliamentary strength into a sustainable political organisation.
Whether NCPI evolves into a durable national force or remains a temporary vehicle for disgruntled TMC lawmakers is likely to become one of the most closely watched developments in the country’s political circles.