An explosive political claim has sent ripples through West Bengal’s political landscape, with a senior NCPI leader alleging that a large section of his party’s MPs is set to join the BJP in the coming weeks. Cooch Behar MP Jagadishchandra Basunia has claimed that as many as 17 out of 20 NCPI MPs—who had earlier severed ties with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) following the Assembly election setback—are preparing to join the BJP, popularly referred to as the ‘Lotus camp’.

According to him, the move could take place either before or shortly after Durga Puja, fuelling intense speculation across political circles. Basunia asserted that the proposed shift has been carefully structured to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.

“Since two-thirds of the 20 members amounts to 14, and 17 of us are moving together, our membership will not be cancelled, nor will we fall foul of the anti-defection law,” he said.
He further alleged that the BJP had earlier facilitated their induction into the NCPI as a strategic step to bypass party restrictions and legal hurdles tied to defection.

Minority MPs likely to stay outside BJP fold

The NCPI leader also outlined a different plan for three minority MPs—Abu Taher, Khalilur Rahman, and Yusuf Pathan—within the group. Basunia indicated that these MPs may not formally join the BJP due to demographic sensitivities in their constituencies.

“As their constituencies have a minority-majority demographic, there are political complications regarding a direct switch to the BJP. They will instead operate as part of the NDA and may be given responsibilities in central departments,” he claimed.

BJP denies any such move

The BJP, however, has categorically denied the claims. State spokesperson Debjit Sarkar dismissed the development, stating that the party has no knowledge of any such plan.
He maintained that Basunia’s remarks are his personal views and that the BJP is not involved in any such political manoeuvre.

The developments come amid an ongoing legal and procedural battle over the status of these MPs in the Lok Sabha. Recently, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla granted an additional three weeks to the 20 MPs—who had defected from the TMC to the NCPI—to respond to show-cause notices issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

The notices were served following a plea by TMC parliamentary leader Abhishek Banerjee, who has sought their disqualification under the anti-defection law.

Still TMC on record, NCPI in practice

Despite officially continuing as TMC MPs in Lok Sabha records, the 20 legislators have been actively functioning under the NCPI banner. They have participated in key meetings of the BJP-led NDA and are reportedly engaging closely with the ruling alliance at the Centre.
Sources indicate that some of these MPs have even attended meetings at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence, further intensifying speculation about their political realignment.

Escalating the confrontation, Abhishek Banerjee has approached the Supreme Court, seeking immediate disqualification of several MPs, including Sudip and Kakoli, apart from pursuing the matter before the Lok Sabha Speaker.

High-stakes political moment before Puja

Political observers believe that if the defection claim materialises ahead of Durga Puja, it could trigger a major political upheaval in West Bengal and have wider national implications.
With conflicting claims and denials, all eyes are now on the coming weeks, which could prove decisive for the state’s shifting political equations.

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