The Speaker’s decision increased the Shinde-led party’s strength in the Lower House from seven to 13. It also reduced the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction to three MPs, delivering another setback to a party already facing organisational and electoral pressure.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat recorded the change through a circular revising the party position in the 18th Lok Sabha. The approval followed submissions from the breakaway MPs, competing representations from the two Shiv Sena factions and an examination of constitutional provisions, legal advice and parliamentary precedents.
The 20 Trinamool dissidents have not yet secured formal recognition for their proposed merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, or NCPI. The Speaker has, however, allotted them seats away from the parliamentary group led by Abhishek Banerjee. The arrangement gives the rebels a distinct identity on the floor without immediately settling their legal status.
Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a leading figure in the breakaway group, said the 20 MPs would support the National Democratic Alliance and participate in parliamentary proceedings alongside the ruling coalition. The faction includes eight women and has pledged to back government initiatives while participating in debates on legislation.
The Trinamool rebels had earlier written to Birla seeking separation from the party’s parliamentary organisation. They argued that cooperation with the NDA would help advance West Bengal’s development and allow them to play a more constructive role in Parliament. Sudip Bandyopadhyay has emerged as another prominent figure in the group.
The political shift has sharply weakened Trinamool’s authority in the Lok Sabha. The party won 28 seats in the 2024 general election and entered the House as one of the largest Opposition formations. Formal recognition of the rebels’ merger would leave the Mamata Banerjee-led party with eight MPs and remove it from its position among the four biggest parties in the chamber.
The government’s decision to invite representatives of the rebel bloc to an all-party meeting before the Monsoon Session triggered protests from Opposition parties. Several Opposition representatives walked out, arguing that the invitation gave political legitimacy to a faction whose parliamentary status remained under examination.
Trinamool leaders have accused the government of encouraging defections and undermining the electoral mandate. They maintain that the dissidents remain Trinamool MPs until the Speaker issues a final order on their affiliation. The party has also sought action under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which contains provisions governing disqualification for defection.
Shiv Sena has challenged the basis of the approved merger involving its six MPs. Its parliamentary leadership argues that elected members cannot independently manufacture a merger when the original political party has taken no such decision. The faction has issued disciplinary notices and sought the disqualification of those who crossed over.
The breakaway MPs and the Shinde camp contend that the move satisfies the constitutional threshold protecting a merger supported by at least two-thirds of a legislature party. The six MPs constituted two-thirds of Shiv Sena ’s nine-member Lok Sabha group before the split.
Shinde said the MPs joined his party to secure development funds and accelerate projects in their constituencies. He rejected allegations that inducements had driven the defections and said the lawmakers had sought meetings with senior government figures to pursue pending infrastructure and welfare proposals.
The enlarged Shiv Sena is now the NDA’s second-largest constituent in the Lok Sabha after the Telugu Desam Party. Its 13 MPs place it ahead of Janata Dal, which has 12 members, and strengthen Shinde’s leverage within the coalition headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The broader realignment could raise the NDA’s effective support in the House above 300 members. The coalition won 293 seats in the 2024 election, including 240 secured by the BJP, but subsequent political changes and support from outside groups have expanded its working majority.
Government strategists are also seeking wider parliamentary support for constitutional changes linked to women’s reservation and delimitation. Such legislation requires a two-thirds majority of members present and voting, along with support from more than half of the total membership of the House.
