Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Rebel TMC MP’s BJP Switch Claim Rejected by Rebels, BJP
Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia said that 17 of 20 rebel MPs would join the BJP.
He said this would happen before or after Durga Puja.
He said three other MPs would support the NDA but would not join the BJP.
Those three MPs rejected that statement and said they would not join the NDA either.
Another rebel MP, Satabdi Roy, said no group decision had been made.
The West Bengal BJP also said it had no information about the proposed move.
The 20 MPs had left the TMC and joined the NCPI after the party’s assembly-election defeat.
Parliament has not officially recognized them as NCPI MPs, and the Supreme Court and Lok Sabha Speaker are considering related proceedings.
Basunia says 14 MPs would be enough to meet the two-thirds requirement under the anti-defection law.
Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia claimed 17 of 20 NCPI-aligned MPs will join the BJP before or after Durga Puja.
Basunia said the remaining three MPs—Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan and Khalilur Rahaman—would support the NDA without joining the BJP.
Satabdi Roy and Abu Taher Khan disputed Basunia’s claim, saying he spoke personally and had no mandate to represent the group.
The West Bengal BJP said it had no information about the proposed switch and would not automatically accept people seeking to join.
The 20 MPs’ NCPI status remains unsettled: Lok Sabha records list them as TMC members, while disqualification proceedings are pending.
- Who
- Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia and 19 other TMC-turned-NCPI Lok Sabha members; the claim was disputed by Satabdi Roy, Abu Taher Khan and the West Bengal BJP.
- What
- Basunia claimed 17 MPs would join the BJP, while three would remain outside the BJP but support the NDA; fellow rebels and the BJP denied or questioned the claim.
- When
- The proposed BJP switch was described as occurring before or after Durga Puja; the Lok Sabha Secretariat set September 22 as the revised deadline for replies to disqualification petitions.
- Where
- The MPs represent West Bengal constituencies, including Cooch Behar, Murshidabad, Baharampur and Jangipur.
- Why
- Basunia cited the two-thirds threshold under the anti-defection law and said three MPs faced political difficulties joining the BJP from minority-dominated constituencies.
Basunia’s Proposed Realignment
Rebel MPs’ and BJP’s Rejection
Whether 17 MPs will join the BJP
Basunia’s Proposed Realignment
Basunia said 17 MPs had finalized plans to join the BJP and that their number would satisfy the two-thirds requirement under the anti-defection law.
Rebel MPs’ and BJP’s Rejection
Satabdi Roy said no such group decision had been made, while the BJP said it had no information that TMC or NCPI members were joining.
Position of the three Murshidabad-area MPs
Basunia’s Proposed Realignment
Basunia said Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan and Khalilur Rahaman would not join the BJP directly because of constituency dynamics but would remain aligned with the NDA.
Rebel MPs’ and BJP’s Rejection
Taher said the three would join neither the BJP nor the NDA, although they could attend government meetings for development-related matters if invited.
Legal and parliamentary status
Basunia’s Proposed Realignment
The rebel camp says its move from the TMC to the NCPI is a valid merger protected by the two-thirds provision of the anti-defection law.
Rebel MPs’ and BJP’s Rejection
The TMC is seeking the MPs’ disqualification, while Lok Sabha records still identify them as TMC members and have not recognized the NCPI group.
- Claimed BJP move
- Basunia said 17 of the 20 NCPI-aligned MPs would join the BJP together.
- Three disputed MPs
- Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan and Khalilur Rahaman rejected the claim that they would support the NDA from outside.
- Fellow rebel’s response
- Satabdi Roy said Basunia spoke in his personal capacity and that no group decision had been taken.
- BJP response
- West Bengal BJP leaders said they had no information about the move and would not automatically accept those seeking to join.
- Anti-defection threshold
- Basunia said 14 of the 20 MPs would be sufficient to meet the two-thirds requirement.
- Parliamentary status
- Lok Sabha records continue to list the 20 MPs as TMC members; recognition of a separate NCPI group has not been finalized.
- Legal proceedings
- The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued notices on August 26, and Speaker Om Birla extended the MPs’ response deadline to September 22; the Supreme Court also issued notices.
