Rebel TMC MPs To Merge With Nationalist Citizens Party, Support NDA

Twenty rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs in the Lok Sabha have announced their decision to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party and extend support to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said the group of 20 MPs, which forms more than two-thirds of the party’s strength in the House, has met the Speaker and submitted a letter seeking to sit separately. She added that they have decided to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party and work in collaboration with the NDA under the leadership of the Prime Minister. Another rebel MP, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, said the faction would pursue the matter of the party’s name in court to determine the legitimate claim over the TMC identity.