Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Agartala: A obscure political group from Tripura, the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), has moved into the national spotlight after twenty rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha members announced their merger with the party. The dissidents, who sought a separate seating arrangement in the House, met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday to formalize the split.
Senior TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay confirmed that the rebel faction joined the NCPI, which the group described as a regional party. Rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar stated that two-thirds of the TMC’s Lok Sabha members had submitted a request to the speaker. As she explained, “Two-thirds of the TMC MPs have given a letter to the speaker for a separate seating arrangement. We will merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India and support the NDA.”
The NCPI previously made headlines for its 2023 Tripura Assembly election campaign, where it fielded four candidates under the slogan of rejecting political turncoats. The party’s candidates in Chawamanu, Ambassa, Karamchara, and Kailashahar performed poorly, with many finishing near the NOTA tally. Barjeda Tripura, who ran as an NCPI candidate in the Chawamanu seat, expressed shock upon learning that a group of national parliamentarians had joined his former party. The daily wage laborer, who secured only 536 votes in 2023, noted that he had entered the race after being recruited by an individual named Krishna Debbarma.
Registered as an unrecognised political party with the Election Commission, the NCPI had originally urged voters to support social workers over professional politicians. The recent merger marks a significant, unexpected shift for the small entity, which until now held no legislative influence beyond its unsuccessful regional bids.
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