At least 20 rebel lawmakers of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a little-known Tripura-based party, in a move that strengthens the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and sets the stage for one of the biggest defections in India's parliamentary history.
The rebel lawmakers, who include former TMC Lok Sabha floor leader Sudip Bandopadhyay, former party chief whip Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, and popular filmstars Deepak Adhikari and Saayoni Ghosh, met Speaker Om Birla on Sunday and submitted a letter stating their intention to merge with the NCPI.
The merger, if approved, will increase the NDA's strength from 294 to 314 in the Lok Sabha, still short of 46 seats to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lower House.
The TMC leadership has indicated that it might go to court to challenge the merger, citing the Supreme Court's judgment in the Maharashtra political crisis case, which states that a "split" is no longer available under the Tenth Schedule and that the legal framework identifies only one political party.
The TMC, which played a key role in defeating the Constitution amendment bill implementing women's quota and delimitation, will get reduced to just eight seats in the Lower House if the merger goes through.
