Rebel TMC leader and Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia has claimed that 17 of the 20 dissident parliamentarians who moved to the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) are likely to join the BJP around Durga Puja.
According to Basunia, the MPs have decided to make the switch together. He argued that since more than two-thirds of the 20-member group would move to the BJP, the anti-defection provisions would not apply to them.
“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 rule matters
The proposed move is linked to the anti-defection law and its provision concerning the merger of a legislature party.
The 20 rebel MPs had announced on June 14 that they had merged with the NCPI and extended their support to the NDA government.
Under the rules, a merger is protected from disqualification when it is supported by at least two-thirds of the members of the legislature party.
For a group of 20 MPs, the two-thirds threshold would be at least 14 members. Basunia’s claim that 17 MPs would move together therefore puts the proposed BJP switch above that threshold.
Three MPs may support NDA from outside
Basunia, however, said that three of the 20 MPs would not formally join the BJP.
He identified the three as Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahaman and Yusuf Pathan, saying they would instead support the NDA from outside.
According to Basunia, the three lawmakers’ decision was linked to the political and administrative circumstances in their respective constituencies.
“They will support the NDA, and may be given important responsibilities or portfolios,” he said.
From TMC to NCPI and now BJP?
The latest development comes after a dramatic political shift involving the rebel TMC MPs.
The dissident parliamentarians, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, broke away from the TMC and subsequently formed the NCPI. On June 14, the group announced its merger with the NCPI and declared support for the NDA.
Basunia’s latest claim now suggests that a sizeable section of the group could take the next step by formally joining the BJP.
If 17 MPs do cross over together, it would give the proposed move the numerical strength needed to meet the two-thirds threshold cited by Basunia.
Basunia faces protests in Cooch Behar
Basunia’s comments also come days after he and his wife, TMC MLA Sangeeta Roy, faced protests when they returned to their ancestral home in Sitai in Cooch Behar.
Locals and BJP workers reportedly demonstrated over Basunia’s decision to change his political allegiance. During the unrest, a TMC office located near his residence was also allegedly set on fire.
Basunia has maintained that he is no longer associated with the TMC and has extended his support to the NDA.
The developments come at a time when the TMC is facing a significant political crisis following defections involving its leaders in both Parliament and the state Assembly.
