Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will decide on the merger of 20 Trinamool Congress (TMC) rebel MPs with the Nationalist Citizenship Party of India (NCPI) after hearing both sides.
The decision follows a communication from TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee asking the speaker to reject the merger request, citing the TMC as a single, indivisible party.
The TMC MPs had handed over a letter expressing their wish to join the NCPI in a meeting with Birla on Sunday evening, bringing the group to 20 lawmakers.
The merger would increase the NDA's strength from 294 to 314 in the Lok Sabha, but the ruling dispensation would still be short of 46 seats to secure a two-thirds majority.
