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The high-stakes political fallout from the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election defeat reached the corridors of Parliament on Monday, as Trinamool Congress (TMC) Parliamentary Party leader Abhishek Banerjee held a crucial meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
The 20-minute discussion focused on TMC's demand to fast-track disqualification proceedings against 20 rebel MPs, led by veterans Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who broke ranks in June following internal turmoil over the election loss. To evade the Tenth Schedule (Anti-Defection Law), the breakaway faction (representing over two-thirds of TMC's 28 Lok Sabha members) announced a merger with the Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). While Speaker Birla has granted separate seating for the 20 breakaway MPs in the House, he reportedly appeared hesitant on finalising their disqualification status or formally ratifying the NCPI merger. Abhishek Banerjee pressed Speaker Om Birla to expedite disqualification petitions against the rebels and revise seating arrangements for the remaining 8 loyalist TMC MPs. The move has already sparked parliamentary sparks, with Opposition parties staging a walkout during the pre-session all-party meeting to protest the NCPI's official invitation before the Speaker's formal ruling. Ahead of the Monsoon Session, several Opposition parties staged a symbolic walkout from an all-party meeting convened by the Central Government, protesting the invitation extended to the NCPI. Opposition leaders alleged that inviting the NCPI violated parliamentary norms, arguing that the merger of the rebel TMC MPs with the NCPI had not yet been formally recognised or approved by the Speaker. The Opposition leaders later rejoined the meeting after registering their protest. As the Monsoon Session of Parliament commenced on Monday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla approved separate seating arrangements for the 20 breakaway MPs. However, the official merger of the rebel TMC MPs with the NCPI remains pending. (ANI)
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