A major political realignment could be in the works in West Bengal, with rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia claiming that 17 of the 20 parliamentarians who recently moved into the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) are preparing to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Basunia made the claim on Monday, saying the lawmakers are likely to formally cross over to the BJP around the time of Durga Puja. According to him, the MPs intend to make the move together so that their defection is protected by the anti-defection law.
“We are 17 MPs going to the BJP together. Since more than two-thirds of the 20 members will be moving, the anti-defection law will not apply to us,” Basunia said, according to The Times of India.
Why the two-thirds threshold matters
The proposed move hinges on the exception provided under India’s anti-defection law for mergers. A merger is protected from disqualification if at least two-thirds of the members of the concerned legislature party agree to it.
In the case of the 20-member NCPI parliamentary group, at least 14 MPs would be required to meet that threshold. Basunia’s claim that 17 MPs are prepared to join the BJP would therefore put the group above the required number.
However, three of the 20 MPs are not expected to formally join the BJP, according to Basunia.
He said Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahaman and Yusuf Pathan would instead extend support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from outside. Basunia attributed their decision to the political and administrative circumstances prevailing in their respective constituencies.
“They will support the NDA, and may be given important responsibilities or portfolios,” he said.
TMC faces another challenge
Basunia’s claim comes at a time when the TMC is dealing with significant political turbulence following a string of defections from the party’s ranks.
The rebels had announced on June 14 that they had merged with the NCPI and extended support to the NDA government. Rebel Lok Sabha members, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, subsequently broke away from the TMC and formed the NCPI.
If Basunia’s claim materialises, the proposed BJP switch would represent another major setback for the TMC and potentially alter the political arithmetic within the state’s parliamentary contingent.
Basunia faces protests in Cooch Behar
The Cooch Behar MP’s remarks also come days after he and his wife, TMC MLA Sangeeta Roy, faced protests when they returned to their ancestral home in Sitai.
Locals and BJP workers reportedly demonstrated against Basunia over his decision to change political allegiance. During the unrest, a TMC office located near his residence was also allegedly set on fire.
Basunia has since made it clear that he no longer considers himself associated with the TMC and has extended his support to the NDA.
For now, Basunia’s announcement remains a political claim rather than a completed mass defection. But if 17 NCPI MPs do indeed cross over to the BJP around Durga Puja, it could mark one of the most significant developments in Bengal’s post-election politics.
