TMC rebels to merge with little-known regional party

In a dramatic development, 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs informed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that their group has merged with NCPI — which is registered in West Bengal’s Howrah and had contested a few seats in the 2023 Tripura assembly elections — and that they will be backing the BJP-led NDA. Incidentally, “to save your rights, reject political turncoats” was one of the slogans of NCPI.