The TMC has been pressing for action against the MPs since June, when 20 of its 28 Lok Sabha MPs revolted, announced their association with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and pledged support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Among the prominent MPs associated with the rebel faction are Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Yusuf Pathan, Saayoni Ghosh, Shatrughan Sinha, Prasun Banerjee, Jagadish Chandra Basunia, Khalilur Rahman, Abu Taher Khan, Satabdi Roy, Rachana Banerjee, Deepak Adhikari (Dev), Arup Chakraborty, Sharmila Sarkar, Bapi Halder, Mala Roy and Mitali Bag.
The political crisis began in June following the party’s defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls. The rebel faction subsequently claimed a merger with the NCPI, arguing that it had the support of more than two-thirds of the TMC’s Lok Sabha strength and could therefore avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
On June 10, the TMC leadership wrote to Speaker Om Birla, urging him not to recognise any separate faction and pressing for action under the anti-defection provisions against the potential rebels.
On June 14, the 20 rebel MPs, led by senior leaders including Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Sudip Bandyopadhyay, met Birla at his New Delhi residence. They submitted letters claiming that they constituted more than two-thirds of the party’s strength and were merging with the NCPI.
The rebel faction subsequently aligned itself with the NDA, while the loyalist TMC camp submitted further letters through floor leader Abhishek Banerjee, arguing that the claimed split was invalid under the Tenth Schedule.On June 18-19, the Speaker’s office initiated a review process and sought arguments from the TMC leadership, including Abhishek Banerjee, on the claimed merger.
By mid-July, Sudip Bandyopadhyay was named the leader of the NCPI group in the Lok Sabha, while Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was made its chief whip. The developments enabled the group to participate in pre-session all-party meetings.
On July 18, Speaker Om Birla approved separate seating arrangements in the Lok Sabha for the 20 rebel MPs, separating them from the remaining TMC MPs. However, the final legal recognition of the claimed merger remained under review.
The following day, on July 19, several Opposition parties staged a walkout from the all-party meeting ahead of the Monsoon Session. Led by TMC MP Mahua Moitra, the Opposition protested against the participation of the 20 rebel MPs, arguing that their claimed merger with the NCPI had not been finally recognised and remained legally contested.
On July 27, Abhishek Banerjee wrote to Speaker Om Birla, seeking urgent action on the disqualification petitions against the rebel MPs.
Banerjee requested that the petitions be taken up for hearing on an urgent basis and sought that each of the 20 petitions be heard and decided separately, stating that every petition concerned the disqualification of an individual Member and required an independent determination based on the facts and applicable law.
He also sought a full and effective opportunity of hearing for all parties concerned and their respective legal representatives in accordance with the principles of natural justice.
On August 12, as the Monsoon Session concluded without a final ruling on the status of the rebel MPs, Banerjee met Speaker Om Birla again and demanded an immediate decision on the pending disqualification petitions.
The latest decision to move the Supreme Court marks a further escalation in the TMC’s legal challenge against the 20 MPs and their claimed merger with the NCPI.
The dispute has raised questions over the applicability of the anti-defection law and the validity of the claimed merger of the TMC’s Lok Sabha faction with the NCPI.
