Separate seating for 20 TMC dissident MPs
NEW DELHI: Hours ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday approved the merger of 6 MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT) with Shiv Sena (Shinde).
Additionally, the Speaker also approved separate seating in the Lok Sabha for 20 MPs who broke away from TMC and joined the little-knwon Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
The Monsoon Session of the Parliament will commence on July 20 and continue till August 13.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Ministry Kiren Rijiju today wrote to TMC turncoat Sudip Bandyopadhyay who was one of the 20 rebel TMC MPs to join National Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
Rijiju invited Bandyopadhyay for the meeting of Floor Leaders of Political Parties to discuss the Legislative Business likely to come up during the forthcoming Monsoon Session.
“…It is my pleasure to invite you for a meeting of Floor Leaders of Political Parties in Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha to discuss important issues and Legislative Business likely to come up before the Houses in the ensuing Monsoon Session of Parliament,” the minister wrote.
The meeting is scheduled to be held on Sunday, July 19, 2026 at 11:00 AM in Main Committee Room, Parliament House Annexe, New Delhi.
Rijiju sought cooperation from the TMC rebels to ensure smooth functioning of both the Houses of Parliament.
He further urged Bandyopadhyay to ensure Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and nominated Chief Whip of his party also attend the meeting.
Last month, 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs, including Mamata Banerjee loyalists Saayoni Ghosh, Yusuf Pathan and June Malia, rebelled against the party leadership and joined the NCPI.
The rebellion was allegedly orchestrated by Dastidar and Bandyopadhyay following the TMC’s defeat in the Bengal Assembly elections.
Days after the TMC rebellion, six MPs defected Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena to join the Shinde faction as part of ‘Operation Tiger’.
The MPs who switched their loyalty were Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Dina Patil, Bhausaheb Wakchoure, Omraje Nimbalkar and Sanjay Bandu Jadhav.
Agencies