BJP's West Bengal chief rules out NCPI Lok Sabha MPs joining party
Synopsis
West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya didn’t just reject the claim that 17 NCPI MPs plan to join the BJP — he made it a point of principle, invoking post-2021 election violence and 15 years of what he called Trinamool Congress oppression. With splits already visible inside the NCPI camp and one MP distancing himself from both the BJP and the NDA, the fate of these 20 breakaway Lok Sabha members is increasingly uncertain.
Key Takeaways
West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya on 14 September 2026 ruled out any of the 20 NCPI Lok Sabha MPs directly joining the BJP.
NCPI MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia had claimed 17 of his colleagues would join the BJP ‘next month.’ Bhattacharya cited post- May 2021 election violence — claiming 56 BJP workers killed and around 200 women workers gang-raped — as grounds for rejection.
Three minority-constituency MPs — Abu Taher Khan , Yusuf Pathan , and Khalilur Rahman — were identified by Basunia as unlikely to join BJP directly.
Abu Taher Khan publicly distanced himself from Basunia’s remarks, saying his camp is ‘neither in the BJP nor with the NDA.’
West Bengal BJP President and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya on Monday, 14 September 2026, emphatically shut the door on any of the 20 Trinamool Congress-turned-Nationalist Citizens' Party of India (NCPI) Lok Sabha members directly joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In a sharp rebuke to claims made earlier in the day by NCPI MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, Bhattacharya quipped that “the BJP they want to join may be the BJP from Mars.”
What Triggered the Remarks
The confrontation began when Basunia, one of the prominent figures among the Trinamool-turned-NCPI MPs, publicly claimed that as many as 17 out of 20 of his colleagues intended to directly join the BJP “next month.” Bhattacharya’s response was unequivocal, ruling out not just the claim but the very premise behind it.
“We will never forget what happened to several BJP workers after the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. So, there is no reason to think that if they want to join the BJP, we will accept them,” Bhattacharya said.
BJP’s Firm Stand on Trinamool Congress Defectors
The West Bengal BJP chief went further, making clear that the party has no plans to absorb anyone from any faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), whether in the near or distant future. He drew a sharp distinction between extending political support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and formal membership in the BJP.
“The people of West Bengal have not forgotten the rule of oppression during the Trinamool Congress regime from 2011 to 2026. Now, some Lok Sabha members have broken out from the Trinamool Congress and are supporting the National Democratic Alliance. They are welcome to do so. But that does not mean that they are joining the BJP,” Bhattacharya clarified.
He added that joining the BJP “might be Basunia’s wish” but insisted there was no reason to believe the BJP leadership would fulfil it.
Post-2021 Violence at the Core of BJP’s Refusal
Bhattacharya anchored his position in the violence that followed the West Bengal Assembly elections of May 2021. He claimed that “as many as 56 BJP workers were killed in just 27 days by Trinamool Congress-backed goons,” that around 200 women BJP workers were gang-raped, and that many party workers were forced to flee or had their homes demolished. “We have not forgotten this. So, there is no reason to think that all those sins would be erased so easily,” he added.
These are claims made by Bhattacharya and the BJP; Trinamool Congress has historically disputed such figures and attributions.
Divisions Within the NCPI Camp
Even within the NCPI group, there is no unified position on joining the BJP. Basunia had earlier acknowledged that three Lok Sabha members in his camp — Abu Taher Khan from Murshidabad constituency, Yusuf Pathan from Baharampur constituency, and Khalilur Rahman from Jangipur constituency, all representing minority-dominated areas of Murshidabad district — face specific constraints in joining the BJP directly and will instead remain part of the NDA without formally joining the party.
Khan himself pushed back sharply at Basunia’s characterisation. “We have not given him any responsibility. This was his personal opinion. Our opinion has nothing to do with it. We are neither in the BJP nor with the NDA. We are thinking of working in our own areas,” Khan said, distancing himself from both camps.
What Comes Next
The episode lays bare the fragmented political trajectory of the 20 NCPI Lok Sabha members who broke from Trinamool Congress. With the BJP closing ranks against formal induction and at least some members publicly rejecting NDA alignment altogether, the political future of this group remains unsettled. How they navigate the coming months — especially in the context of West Bengal’s evolving post-TMC political landscape — will be closely watched.
Point of View
But the subtext is politically significant: the West Bengal BJP is signalling that NDA support and party membership are separate categories, a distinction that gives the party cover to use NCPI numbers in Parliament without taking on the electoral liability of absorbing former TMC faces. The visible fractures within the NCPI group — with Abu Taher Khan rejecting even NDA association — suggest this bloc has no coherent negotiating leverage. The 2021 violence narrative also serves a dual function: it keeps the BJP’s core base satisfied while justifying a closed-door policy that may be as much about arithmetic as principle.
NationPress
14 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Samik Bhattacharya rule out NCPI MPs joining the BJP?
Bhattacharya rejected the possibility on the grounds that the BJP has not forgotten the violence against its workers after the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections , where he claimed 56 BJP workers were killed and around 200 women workers were gang-raped by TMC-backed groups. He made clear that no former Trinamool Congress member would be accepted into the BJP, regardless of which faction they now belong to.
What did NCPI MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia claim?
Basunia claimed on 14 September 2026 that as many as 17 out of 20 NCPI Lok Sabha members from West Bengal intended to directly join the BJP the following month. The claim prompted an immediate and sharp rebuttal from West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya.
What is the NCPI and how is it connected to Trinamool Congress?
The Nationalist Citizens’ Party of India (NCPI) is a political grouping that includes 20 Lok Sabha members who broke away from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) . While they have been described as supporting the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) , their formal political status and future alignment remain contested among the members themselves.
Which NCPI MPs are unlikely to join the BJP and why?
Basunia himself acknowledged that Abu Taher Khan (Murshidabad), Yusuf Pathan (Baharampur), and Khalilur Rahman (Jangipur) — all from minority-dominated areas of Murshidabad district — face constraints that make directly joining the BJP difficult. Khan subsequently went further, saying his group is ‘neither in the BJP nor with the NDA.’
What happens next for the 20 NCPI Lok Sabha members?
Their political future remains fragmented and unclear. The BJP has formally closed the door on direct membership, at least one member has distanced himself from the NDA as well, and Basunia’s claim of a bloc move to the BJP has been contradicted both by Bhattacharya and by his own colleagues. How these MPs position themselves heading into the next political cycle in West Bengal will be closely watched.
