West Bengal politics has been hit by fresh speculation after Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia claimed that 17 of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs currently aligned with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) are preparing to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Basunia said the proposed switch could take place either before or shortly after Durga Puja in October 2026.
But the claim remains unconfirmed.
Other MPs in the rebel group have challenged Basunia's assertion, while the West Bengal BJP has publicly distanced itself from the suggestion that their induction has already been agreed.
The conflicting statements have turned Basunia's remarks into a significant new political controversy rather than confirmation of an imminent mass defection.
What Jagadish Basunia Claimed
Basunia, one of the MPs who broke with the TMC and subsequently aligned with the NCPI, said 17 members of the 20-MP group were planning to move to the BJP together.
“We are 17 MPs going to the BJP together. Since more than two-thirds of the 20 members will be moving, the anti-defection law will not apply to us.”
Basunia argued that moving as a group of 17 would put the MPs above the two-thirds threshold relevant to the merger exception under India's anti-defection framework.
However, that is Basunia's interpretation and claim. Whether any future move satisfies the legal requirements would depend on the precise circumstances and could ultimately become a matter for the appropriate parliamentary or judicial authorities.
How the 20-MP Rebel Group Emerged
The latest controversy follows a dramatic political realignment involving the Trinamool Congress.
In June 2026, 20 dissident TMC Lok Sabha MPs moved to the little-known NCPI and extended support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
The development followed the TMC's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly election earlier in the year.
Basunia has now claimed that the NCPI arrangement was effectively an intermediate stage before most members of the group moved to the BJP.
He further alleged that BJP leaders had helped facilitate the rebel MPs' move to the NCPI because three MPs were unwilling to directly join the BJP.
That assertion has not been independently established and should be treated as Basunia's claim rather than a confirmed account of the political negotiations.
Three MPs at Centre of Basunia's Claim
Basunia identified Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman and Yusuf Pathan as the three MPs who, according to his version of events, would not directly enter the BJP.
He suggested the other 17 MPs could make the switch while the three remained outside.
However, Basunia's description of a coordinated plan immediately encountered resistance from within the group itself.
Abu Taher Khan publicly rejected the suggestion that Basunia was speaking for all of them.
He told The Indian Express:
“Who asked him to become our spokesperson?”
Taher also rejected the suggestion that he intended to join the BJP or support the NDA.
His response is important because it demonstrates that there is no publicly confirmed consensus among the 20 MPs matching Basunia's account.
BJP Distances Itself From Mass-Defection Claim
The West Bengal BJP has also pushed back against the impression that the alleged switch is a settled arrangement.
State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said there had been no discussion within the party about inducting Basunia or the other rebel MPs.
He stressed that a desire to join the BJP would not by itself guarantee admission into the party.
That response significantly qualifies the headline-making claim.
At present, therefore, the verified position is not that 17 MPs will join the BJP. It is that Basunia says they intend to do so, while BJP leadership and members of the rebel group have disputed or distanced themselves from his account.
Anti-Defection Law Becomes Central to the Debate
Basunia's reference to the two-thirds threshold has placed India's anti-defection law at the centre of the controversy.
The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution contains provisions governing disqualification when legislators defect from their political party.
Following amendments to the law, the earlier protection for a simple “split” was removed. A merger exception can apply where at least two-thirds of the members of the legislature party agree to such a merger.
Basunia appears to be relying on this provision when arguing that 17 MPs moving together would escape disqualification.
But the situation involving the rebel TMC MPs is already politically and legally complicated because of their earlier move to the NCPI and disputes surrounding their status.
It would therefore be premature to state that simply having 17 MPs guarantees protection from disqualification.
TMC Camp Attacks Rebel MPs
The Mamata Banerjee camp of the Trinamool Congress has reacted sharply to the developments.
TMC leaders have accused the dissident MPs of abandoning the political mandate on which they were elected and have characterised their actions as political opportunism.
The party has also pursued disqualification proceedings against the MPs.
That means any subsequent move to the BJP would not occur in isolation. It would become part of an already-running political and legal battle over the status of the rebel lawmakers.
Why 17 MPs Would Matter Nationally
If Basunia's prediction eventually materialises, the consequences would extend beyond West Bengal.
Seventeen sitting Lok Sabha MPs formally entering the BJP would represent a substantial parliamentary shift.
It could strengthen the BJP's numerical position in the Lok Sabha while further weakening the parliamentary strength associated with the TMC's original 2024 mandate.
Politically, such a move would also reinforce the transformation of West Bengal's party landscape following the 2026 Assembly election.
But those consequences remain hypothetical until an actual defection occurs.
There has been no confirmed mass entry of these 17 MPs into the BJP as of the latest reports.
Durga Puja Emerges as the Political Timeline
Basunia has placed Durga Puja in October at the centre of his timeline, saying the alleged switch could happen either before or shortly after the festivities.
That gives the claim a relatively specific window in which it can be tested.
Until then, statements from individual MPs will be particularly important.
If more members of the 20-MP group publicly confirm Basunia's account, the possibility of a coordinated switch would gain credibility. If additional MPs reject it, questions about whether Basunia was speaking only for himself or a smaller faction will grow.
The BJP's response will be equally important, because joining the party would require more than a unilateral declaration from the MPs.
Claim Versus Confirmed Facts
The distinction is crucial in this story.
Confirmed: Twenty dissident TMC MPs moved to the NCPI in June and extended support to the NDA.
Claim: Basunia says 17 of those MPs now plan to join the BJP around Durga Puja.
Disputed: Other rebel MPs have said Basunia does not speak for them.
BJP position: The West Bengal BJP has distanced itself from the assertion that the MPs' induction is already decided.
Consequently, reports stating outright that “17 TMC MPs are joining BJP” would go beyond the publicly established facts.
What Happens Next?
All eyes will now be on the rebel MPs as the Durga Puja period approaches.
Basunia has presented the potential move as a planned group defection. But without confirmation from the other MPs or the BJP, the announcement remains a political assertion rather than a completed realignment.
The controversy nevertheless exposes the continuing volatility of West Bengal politics following the TMC's electoral setback and the subsequent rebellion within its parliamentary ranks.
If 17 MPs ultimately make the switch, it would mark another major restructuring of Bengal's political landscape.
For now, however, the most accurate description is considerably more cautious: one rebel MP says a large-scale move to the BJP is coming, while some of the people supposedly involved—and the BJP itself—are pushing back against that claim.
