Twenty rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs who broke away from Mamata Banerjee’s party have been allowed to sit separately in the Lok Sabha after Speaker Om Birla recognised their new grouping on Saturday.
The Speaker also recognised six rebel MPs from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction, who recently joined Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
The decision comes ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which will begin on July 20 and continue until August 13, with 19 sittings scheduled.
20 TMC MPs to sit separately
Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs join Shinde camp
The Speaker also recognised six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs who left Uddhav Thackeray’s faction on June 22 and joined Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
The defections increased the Shinde faction’s strength in the Lok Sabha from seven to 13 MPs.
Speaking after the switch, Shinde said, “When we revolted in 2022 to save the party and the bow-and-arrow symbol, 40 MLAs joined us. Now, six MPs have also joined us.”
The move marks the second major split in Uddhav Thackeray’s party since the 2022 rebellion.
Recognition boosts NDA numbers
The recognition of both groups is expected to strengthen the NDA’s position in Parliament as the government seeks broader support for key constitutional legislation, including measures linked to the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act and the proposed Delimitation Bill.
According to the figures provided, the NDA’s strength in the Lok Sabha has risen from 292 to 318 after the induction of the rebel TMC and Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs.
However, with three Lok Sabha seats currently vacant, the alliance still falls 42 votes short of the two-thirds majority required to pass a Constitutional Amendment Bill.
Rajya Sabha numbers also improve
The NDA has also expanded its strength in the Rajya Sabha following the induction of several opposition MPs.
Three former TMC Rajya Sabha MPs, Sukhendu Shekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik, joined the BJP earlier this month, taking the NDA’s tally in the Upper House to 152. Former TMC MP Koel Malik has also resigned and is expected to join the BJP.
Despite these gains, the NDA remains 11 seats short of the 163-member two-thirds majority required in the 245-member Rajya Sabha to pass constitutional amendments.
