New Political Dynamics: NCPi Joins NDA Parliamentary Meeting

NCPi's First Participation in NDA Meeting

New Delhi, July 28 - A group of MPs who recently transitioned from the Trinamool Congress to the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPi) attended the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary meeting for the first time on Tuesday. The gathering, dubbed 'Mangal Milan', was graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several senior central ministers.

Despite sitting separately from the Trinamool Congress members in the Lok Sabha, the Speaker, Om Birla, has yet to make a decision regarding the recognition of NCPi. Following their switch to NCPi, these MPs expressed their allegiance to the NDA, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Sudip Bandopadhyay, a prominent leader of this group, recently met with the Prime Minister.

The NDA parliamentary meeting took place within the premises of the Parliament House. MP Sayoni Ghosh from NCPi remarked, 'I participated in the NDA meeting. It was an extremely enlightening session in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.'

During the meeting, discussions revolved around Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), which were described as highly constructive. She referenced the 'Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill 2026', which is set to be presented for discussion in the Lok Sabha today, emphasizing that this anti-paper leak legislation should receive widespread support. Another MP, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, noted that this was the first occasion that the 20 NCPi MPs were invited to the NDA's 'Mangal Milan' meeting.

She added, 'We were informed about the country's progress, free trade agreements, and issues concerning farmers... The data we received will enable us to better communicate these topics to the public.'

Actress-turned-politician Shatabdi Roy commented that the meeting featured 'meaningful discussions', stating, 'We had not seen such organized proceedings before. They informed us about upcoming bills. The Prime Minister did not make any comments.'

This meeting occurred shortly after student protests against the NEET question paper leak and other examination irregularities, which led to the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Education Minister. Senior central ministers including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, J.P. Nadda, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Kiren Rijiju, and MPs from NDA allied parties were present at the meeting.

Central Minister Shantanu Thakur mentioned that the meeting focused on two main topics: trade and fisheries. He elaborated, 'We discussed the advancements in the fisheries sector and the growth in trade and commerce in detail.'

Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske stated that the relevant ministers presented updates on the growth in trade and fisheries across the country.