New Delhi, July 15: The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) congratulated its parliamentary leaders on social media this Wednesday. The party claims to have established itself as a significant force in the Lok Sabha following recent political developments.
Previously, the party appointed Sudip Bandopadhyay as its floor leader, Shatabdi Roy as deputy leader, and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as the chief whip in the Lok Sabha.
After switching parties, Sudip Bandopadhyay stated that they would now represent the “real Trinamool” in Parliament. He mentioned that this representation would commence with the upcoming monsoon session starting on July 20.
The NCPI, which had not been widely discussed until now, has not contested any Lok Sabha elections. However, it gained national attention last month when 20 rebel MPs from the Trinamool Congress announced their merger with the NCPI.
Headquartered in Kolkata, the party also contested the Tripura Assembly elections in 2023, where it received a total of 822 votes.
With the inclusion of the rebel MPs from Trinamool, the NCPI now claims to be the fifth-largest party in the Lok Sabha and the second-largest ally of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), following the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Other major allies of the NDA include the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from Andhra Pradesh with 16 MPs and the Janata Dal (United) from Bihar with 12 MPs. The MPs who joined the NCPI have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, requesting recognition for their new parliamentary party, while also announcing their support for the NDA, which contrasts with the previous stance of the Trinamool Congress.
However, experts are divided on whether this move can protect these MPs from disqualification under anti-defection laws. Some political analysts have labeled it a “shell party” strategy, using a small and relatively unknown party to gain political and legal protection.
Meanwhile, the rebel MPs argue that they are protected under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. This provision states that if two-thirds of a party’s legislators or MPs are in favor of a merger, they cannot be disqualified on the grounds of defection.
Legal experts also have differing opinions on this matter. Some believe that the term “party” in the relevant provision refers not just to a group of MPs but to the entire political party, regardless of whether two-thirds of the MPs support the merger.
This entire situation has sparked a debate about whether, despite providing a legal loophole to evade anti-defection laws, it raises questions about democratic processes and voter representation.
Last month, Trinamool Congress General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, claiming the merger of the rebel MPs with the NCPI was illegal and demanding their disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
As of now, the Lok Sabha Speaker has not granted official recognition to this new group. The official website of the Lok Sabha still lists 28 MPs from the Trinamool Congress. The MPs who joined the NCPI are confident that they will receive recognition after an investigation. They have also called for a meeting of their new parliamentary party this Sunday.
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