17 NCPI MPs to join BJP soon: Rebel TMC MP's big 'Durga Puja' claim
Rebel TMC MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia claims that 17 out of 20 dissident MPs plan to join the BJP to avoid anti-defection laws. The move follows a period of political instability within the TMC after recent election losses.
Why it matters
This potential mass defection could significantly alter the political landscape and power balance in West Bengal.
NEW DELHI: Seventeen of the 20 MPs are likely to join the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party either before or after Durga Puja in October, rebel TMC leader and Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia claimed Monday.According to Basunia, the MPs have decided to make the switch together, which he said would ensure that they are not disqualified under 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.The development comes nearly three months after 20 dissident TMC MPs announced their merger with the little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) on June 14 and extended support to the ruling NDA.The anti-defection law requires at least two-thirds of members of a legislature party to agree to a merger to avoid disqualification.
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