Suvendu Adhikari to meet NCPI MPs in Delhi amid reports of more TMC exits
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is likely to meet Members of Parliament of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) in Delhi on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Senior NCPI MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar have confirmed the meeting, which would be the first between the Chief Minister and the 20 MPs who defected from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and joined the fledgling party.
"The agenda of the meeting is development in our respective parliamentary constituencies. A large number of our party workers are still homeless after the change of government. We want them to be brought back to their homes," Mr. Bandyopadhyay told mediapersons in Delhi.
He said Mr. Adhikari was supposed to meet the MPs last week, but the meeting could not be held since he could not arrive in Delhi in time. Ms. Dastidar, who has already left for Delhi, said all NCPI MPs will meet the Chief Minister.
The NCPI, formed recently by a section of TMC dissidents, has declared its support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre. The 20 MPs have been attending the NDA parliamentary party’s weekly 'Mangal Milan' meeting. Their alignment with the NDA has been a significant political development in West Bengal.
The meeting between Mr. Adhikari and the NCPI MPs assumes significance in the backdrop of speculations that more leaders from the TMC are likely to switch sides. According to reports, leaders from the 'Kalighat camp', comprising loyalists of TMC founder Mamata Banerjee, may join the NCPI. This camp reportedly includes two Lok Sabha members. The TMC currently has around eight MPs in the Lok Sabha after the desertions, having won 29 seats in the 2024 general election.
Reacting to the speculations, Mamata loyalist and Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh attributed them to "pressure from the police and administration". He claimed that about 30 out of 65 MLAs who are supporting Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee are also in touch with Ms. Banerjee. The TMC had won 80 seats in the Assembly election held earlier this year.
In a separate development, the Supreme Court on Monday urged the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to consider allowing the TMC access to a portion of the funds lying in three bank accounts that have been frozen. The court observed that the party would require money to meet its day-to-day expenses. However, it clarified that it would not examine the merits of the dispute over the legality of the freezing order at this stage, as the matter remains pending before the Calcutta High Court.
A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and P.B. Varale was hearing the TMC’s appeal against a July 20 order of the High Court refusing to grant interim relief against the ED’s decision to freeze three HDFC Bank accounts belonging to the party as part of a money-laundering investigation.
The development is being closely watched, as the TMC, which once held a dominant position in West Bengal's politics, has been facing a series of exits since the change of government. The scheduled meeting is expected to focus on development projects and the rehabilitation of party workers who were reportedly displaced.
(with inputs from Aaratrika Bhaumik in New Delhi)
