Politics

TMC rebel MP claims 17 of 20 defectors will join BJP, 3 to back NDA from NCPI

Jagdish Basunia claims 17 of the 20 TMC MPs who moved to NCPI will join the BJP, while Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman and Yusuf Pathan will remain with NCPI and support the NDA. The defection dispute is pending before the Supreme Court and the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Editor: AI News 24x7 Published: 15 Sep 2026, 12:38 AM Updated: 15 Sep 2026, 12:38 AM

TMC rebel MP claims 17 of 20 defectors will join BJP, 3 to back NDA from NCPI.

Jagdish Basunia, one of the 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs who joined the Nationalist Congress Party of India (NCPI), has claimed that 17 of them will soon join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He said the remaining 3 MPs will stay with NCPI while continuing to support the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The claim comes as the MPs’ move away from TMC remains under legal and parliamentary consideration. The dispute is pending before the Supreme Court, while the Lok Sabha Speaker has sought replies from all 20 MPs following a complaint by TMC.

What Basunia claimed

Basunia said the group decided to align with the NDA because it wanted to work with the central and state governments. He added that joining the BJP had also been decided, but that the process would take some time.

According to his claim, Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman and Yusuf Pathan will not take BJP membership. They are expected to remain in NCPI, support the NDA and attend its meetings, while the other 17 MPs are expected to join the BJP.

Basunia linked the decision of the 3 MPs to the social and political conditions in their constituencies. He said those constituencies have a sizeable minority population, making a direct move to the BJP less likely, although the MPs would continue supporting the NDA and the BJP.

Lok Sabha status remains unchanged

The 20 MPs have joined NCPI, which is described as a registered but unrecognised political party. They have formally announced their alignment with the NDA, but Lok Sabha records still list them as TMC MPs.

The records have not changed because the Speaker has not yet approved their move. The MPs’ status will therefore remain an important part of the proceedings before any formal decision is taken.

Speaker seeks replies by 22 September

TMC has submitted a complaint against the MPs to the Lok Sabha Speaker. The MPs were initially asked to respond by 26 August, but they sought more time. They have now been given until 22 September to submit their replies.

Basunia referred to the anti-defection law and argued that support from 20 of TMC’s total 28 MPs should provide protection under the law’s 2-thirds provision. He said the group’s strength met that requirement.

However, the legal questions surrounding this argument remain before the court. The final position will depend on the parliamentary process and the ongoing proceedings in the Supreme Court.

What happens next

The next focus is the action after the 22 September deadline. The Lok Sabha Speaker will consider the replies in the context of TMC’s complaint, while the Supreme Court will continue hearing the related dispute.

Until the Speaker approves any change, the 20 MPs remain recorded as TMC members in the Lok Sabha. Basunia’s claim about the future division between the BJP and NCPI is therefore yet to be reflected in the House records.

Conclusion

The proposed split would see 17 MPs move to the BJP and 3 remain with NCPI while supporting the NDA, but the group’s formal status is unresolved. The next significant steps are the replies due by 22 September, the Speaker’s proceedings and the Supreme Court case.