In June 2026, twenty rebel MPs from the Trinamool Congress — roughly two-thirds of the party's parliamentary strength — announced a merger...

In June 2026, twenty rebel MPs from the Trinamool Congress — roughly two-thirds of the party's parliamentary strength — announced a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, a regional outfit that fielded candidates in two Tripura constituencies in 2023 and received 536 and 286 votes respectively. The legal manoeuvre is specific: India's Tenth Schedule protects MPs from disqualification if their legislative group joins another party, provided at least two-thirds agree. The rebels met the threshold. Whether the manoeuvre is valid is another question: constitutional law experts argue the provision requires the actual political party to merge, not just a faction of legislators. The NCPI does not appear to have been formally consulted about receiving twenty MPs. India's law designed to punish defection has created a market for obscure parties willing to absorb large parliamentary groups — at least in theory.