TMC Defection Crisis: Speaker Grants Rebels Extension Until Sept 22
Public Lokpal
September 03, 2026
TMC Defection Crisis: Speaker Grants Rebels Extension Until Sept 22
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has extended the deadline to September 22 for 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs to respond to disqualification notices.
The petitions, filed by TMC floor leader Abhishek Banerjee under the Tenth Schedule, follow a dramatic intra-party split.
The rebel faction, spearheaded by senior parliamentarians including Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, previously announced a merger with the regional Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
The maneuver was executed in an attempt to shield the lawmakers from the strict penalties outlined in India's Anti-Defection Law.
Although the Lok Sabha Secretariat has temporarily accommodated the breakaway faction with separate seating allocations inside the chamber, the legality of the NCPI merger remains officially unratified.
The latest extension was granted following formal written appeals from the targeted MPs, who cited the need for comprehensive legal counsel.
This high-stakes parliamentary showdown continues to draw scrutiny amid ongoing Supreme Court debates regarding constitutionally mandated timeframes for presiding officers to resolve disqualification proceedings.