Archive · 14 Sep 2026
TMC Challenges Speaker as NCPI MPs Prepare for BJP Switch
The Trinamool Congress, or TMC, is asking India’s Supreme Court to examine disqualification cases against 10 rebel lawmakers.
TMC says the West Bengal Assembly Speaker has delayed decisions on those cases.
Twenty TMC MPs previously joined a smaller party called NCPI and began supporting the NDA.
Seventeen of those MPs may formally join the BJP around Durga Puja.
Three others may support the NDA without officially joining the BJP.
TMC says the BJP is using the rebel MPs but not fully accepting them.
The BJP’s state leader says the BJP will contest Kolkata and Howrah civic elections alone.
NCPI says it will contest those elections as part of the NDA.
The disagreement over the election alliance is still unsettled.
The Trinamool Congress filed a Supreme Court petition seeking action on disqualification pleas against 10 rebel West Bengal MLAs.
TMC says 17 of 20 dissident MPs who joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India are preparing to formally join the BJP around Durga Puja.
Three dissident MPs are expected to support the NDA from outside rather than formally join the BJP, citing constituency sensitivities.
The BJP’s West Bengal chief ruled out an alliance with NCPI in Kolkata and Howrah civic elections, while NCPI says it expects to contest as part of the NDA.
The Speaker’s pending disqualification decisions and the conflicting BJP-NCPI positions on civic polls remain unresolved.
- Who
- The Trinamool Congress, 10 rebel MLAs, 20 dissident MPs associated with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, the BJP and the NDA.
- What
- TMC filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court over pending MLA disqualification pleas while a majority of dissident MPs prepare for a possible BJP switch.
- When
- The MP split occurred on June 14; the proposed BJP switch is expected around Durga Puja, and TMC plans to press for a hearing on the 17th.
- Where
- The dispute concerns the West Bengal Assembly, the Lok Sabha, and upcoming civic elections in Kolkata and Howrah.
- Why
- TMC says the Assembly Speaker has delayed disqualification decisions; the political groups are also positioning themselves ahead of civic elections.
TMC and BJP Positions
NCPI and Rebel Camp Positions
MLA disqualification
TMC and BJP Positions
TMC argues that the Speaker has delayed action on disqualification pleas and says its case against the named rebel MLAs is strong on merit.
NCPI and Rebel Camp Positions
The rebel camp’s position is reflected in its continued political organization and support for the NDA; the articles do not provide a detailed response to the pending MLA pleas.
Parliamentary merger
TMC and BJP Positions
TMC questions the rebel MPs’ standing and accuses the BJP of using the group while being reluctant to fully absorb them, particularly its Muslim MPs.
NCPI and Rebel Camp Positions
Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia says the group’s merger with NCPI is protected by the two-thirds threshold, while most members prepare for formal BJP membership.
Civic-election alliance
TMC and BJP Positions
The BJP’s West Bengal president, Samik Bhattacharya, says the BJP will contest Kolkata and Howrah civic polls alone and seek a two-thirds majority independently.
NCPI and Rebel Camp Positions
NCPI MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay says NCPI will contest the Kolkata civic election as part of the NDA, claiming senior BJP leaders confirmed the arrangement.
- Petitioner
- Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay filed the Special Leave Petition for the Trinamool Congress.
- MLAs named
- The petition names 10 MLAs, including Ritabrata Banerjee, Arup Roy and Firhad Hakim.
- Dissident MPs
- Twenty TMC MPs merged with NCPI and supported the NDA on June 14.
- Expected BJP switch
- Seventeen of the 20 dissident MPs are preparing to formally join the BJP around Durga Puja.
- Outside NDA support
- Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahaman and Yusuf Pathan are not expected to formally join the BJP.
- Civic elections
- The BJP says it will contest Kolkata and Howrah civic elections alone, while NCPI claims it will contest as part of the NDA.