New Delhi, June 14: Political turmoil within the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) intensified on Sunday after a group of rebel MPs announced their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and extended support to the NDA government.

Rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claimed that 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs—more than two-thirds of the party's parliamentary strength—have joined NCPI and submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking separate seating in Parliament. The group said it would work with the NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Senior rebel leaders, including Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Satabdi Roy, confirmed the merger, while asserting that the question of which faction is the “real TMC” would be settled in court.

The move triggered a strong response from the Mamata Banerjee-led party. TMC MPs led by Kirti Azad and Sagarika Ghose met the Speaker, calling the split unconstitutional and accusing the BJP of attempting to weaken opposition parties.

TMC leaders, including Kunal Ghosh, Madan Mitra and Saugata Roy, described the defections as a “betrayal” of both the party and the voters who elected the MPs on an anti-BJP platform.

As the political battle escalates, both factions are preparing for a legal and parliamentary showdown over the future of the Trinamool Congress.