Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is expected to allot new division numbers and seating arrangements to 20 former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs who have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). The rebel MPs have formally requested separate seating in the House and a dedicated office in the Parliament complex.
The decision to allocate the seats comes after the 20 parliamentarians met with the Speaker, designating Sudip Bandyopadhyay as their floor leader and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as their chief whip. The faction has informed the Speaker that they will extend support to the BJP-led NDA.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress leadership is contesting the move, with TMC Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee having submitted 20 separate petitions to Speaker Birla seeking the immediate disqualification of the rebel MPs under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
The meeting with the Speaker assumes significance as petitions have been filed by the Trinamool Congress seeking the disqualification of the 20 MPs,
The developments come after the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC suffered a major setback in the West Bengal Assembly polls held in April this year.
News Edit KV Raman
