A political party that struggled to make an impact in its first election has suddenly emerged at the centre of a major political development. The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a little-known outfit registered in 2023, has gained national attention after 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs announced their merger with the party.
The move has transformed NCPI from a relatively unknown organisation into a significant player in the ongoing political turmoil within the Trinamool Congress.
Registered in 2023, debut in Tripura
The NCPI was registered with the Election Commission as a Registered Unrecognised Political Party (RUPP) on January 20, 2023. Despite being based in West Bengal, the party made its electoral debut in Tripura later that year.
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According to Election Commission records cited by NDTV, the party received donations totalling Rs 1.13 lakh. Party documents identify Shewly Kundu as the treasurer. The party's president is Uttiya Kundu, her husband.
NCPI leader Shantanu Dey told NDTV that the party entered Tripura politics with the objective of representing deprived tribal communities in areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
Limited electoral success?
The party fielded candidates in seven constituencies, but nomination papers in four seats were rejected. Ultimately, NCPI candidates contested in only two constituencies and secured a combined 822 votes. Including an independent candidate backed by the party, the broader NCPI effort received 1,198 votes.
Several former candidates later claimed that the party's activities largely stopped after the elections.
Jahangir Ali, who contested from Kailashahar, told NDTV, "We were contacted to be candidates by Shewly Kundu, who came from Kolkata during the 2023 elections. After the polls they shut shop and went back. We also lost contact with them."
Another former candidate, Barjeda Tripura, was quoted as saying by NDTV, "I contested on their ticket after being introduced to party founder Shantanu De through a local contact. They did not ask me for any money and there was hardly any campaign. They mainly wanted candidates to contest. After the election, I completely lost touch with them."
From electoral margins to Parliament
According to Dey, internal disagreements after the Tripura elections affected the party's functioning and stalled plans to contest local elections in West Bengal.
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Despite its limited political footprint, NCPI has now become linked to a group comprising nearly two-thirds of Trinamool's Lok Sabha MPs. Following their split from the Trinamool Congress, the rebel MPs approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking separate seating arrangements and recognition as a separate parliamentary group.
Trinamool leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay later confirmed that the rebel faction had merged with NCPI, a development that has thrust the little-known party into the national spotlight.
FAQs:
What is the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI)?
NCPI is a Registered Unrecognised Political Party that was registered with the Election Commission in January 2023.
Why is NCPI in the news?
The party has gained attention after 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs announced their merger with it.
