In his first formal interaction with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) MPs, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is scheduled to meet 20 rebel MPs in New Delhi on Tuesday, marking a significant development that can reshape the political future of the state as well as the Centre.
The 20 MPs, including Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Satabdi Roy, Dev and Yusuf Pathan, had won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on TMC tickets before joining the relatively lesser-known NCPI, which is currently an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The meeting comes against the backdrop of an ongoing legal and political dispute over the defections. Although Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has not yet recognised the MPs’ change of party, their seating arrangements in the House have already been altered.
The Kalighat camp of the TMC has petitioned the Speaker to disqualify the MPs under the anti-defection law, arguing that they voluntarily gave up membership of the party after being elected on its symbol.
A TMC delegation comprising Abhishek Banerjee, Kalyan Banerjee and Mahua Moitra had earlier met the Speaker to press the demand. However, no decision has been announced so far.
Adhikari is expected to hold the meeting with the NCPI MPs at Banga Bhavan in Delhi at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Last month, during the split in the TMC’s parliamentary party, Adhikari had attended a meeting at the residence of Union Minister Bhupender Yadav.
However, this will be his first meeting with the defecting MPs after they formally joined the NCPI and the party aligned itself with the NDA.
While the official agenda has not been disclosed, several MPs indicated that discussions are likely to focus on coordination with the West Bengal government in implementing projects funded through the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).
The meeting may also review issues the MPs intend to raise during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.