Nationalist Citizens Party of India
Indian political party
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is a political party that is active in the eastern region of India, including West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam.[1][2] The NCPI is a registered unrecognised party that has participated in state assembly elections, with a focus on representing the Bengali-speaking communities.[3] In June 2026, after the merger of 20 All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Member's of Parliament (MP)s, it has become the fifth largest political party in Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's parliament, and the second largest ally of the ruling coalition at the centre, Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).[4][5][6]
Nationalist Citizens Party of India | |
|---|---|
| |
| Abbreviation | NCPI |
| President | Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar |
| Lok Sabha Leader | Sudip Bandyopadhyay |
| Founder | Shewly Kundu |
| Founded | 14 October 2022 |
| Headquarters | Sankrail, Howrah, West Bengal |
| Ideology | Liberalism (Indian) Bengali nationalism Regionalism Secularism Economic Liberalism |
| Political position | Centre |
| Colours | Light Lime |
| ECI status | Registered-Unrecognised |
| Alliance | National Democratic Alliance (2026–present) |
| Seats in Rajya Sabha | 0 / 245 |
| Seats in Lok Sabha | 20 / 543 |
| Seats in West Bengal Legislative Assembly | 0 / 294 |
| Election symbol | |
 | |
| Party flag | |
_Pen_Nib_with_Seven_Rays.jpg) | |
Foundation and history
_Pen_Nib_with_Seven_Rays_Logo.jpg){kind=logo}
The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) was founded in 2022,[7] while according to ECI the party was registered on 20 January 2023, with Shewly Kundu as its president and chairperson and Saikat Das as its general secretary.[8][6][2] Their headquarters is located in Howrah, West Bengal.
The NCPI contested the 2023 Tripura Legislative Assembly election on the Pen Nib with Seven Rays symbol, fielding candidates in four constituencies — Chawamanu, Ambassa, Karamchara and Kailashahar.[citation needed] The party performed poorly in all four seats, with its candidates either polling fewer votes than the NOTA option or only margin.[8][9][10]
In June 2026, 20 MPs including Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar from the AITC merged with the NCPI.[1]
AITC (Rebel Bloc) merger
Following the defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election and growing internal unrest, more than two-thirds of the AITC's parliamentary strength (20 out of 28 MPs) rebelled against the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee. After a rebellion in the All India Trinamool Congress, 20 members of parliament joined the NCPI.[11][12] The merger was due to the complications that the rebel group would face if they formed an independent bloc under the AITC label.[13][14]
According to political analysts,[who?] the rebel MPs' decision to merge with a registered regional political party rather than form a separate bloc within AITC was intended to avoid legal complications under anti-defection law, as it states that "When two-thirds of the legislators of a political party decide to merge with another party, neither those who join the new party nor the ones who stay with the original party face disqualification."[3][11][15][16]
Leadership
Party leadership
| # | Name | Term in office | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. | ||
| 1 | Shewly Kundu | 14 October 2022 | 14 June 2026 | 3 years, 243 days | [17][18][19] |
| 2 | Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar | 14 June 2026 | Incumbent | 51 days | |
Legislative leadership
List of Lok Sabha MP's
This is a list of members of the 18th Lok Sabha arranged by the states and union territories they are elected from. These MPs were elected in the 2024 Indian general election held in April–June 2024.
Keys:
.jpg)
.jpg)
Electoral performance
| Year | Assembly | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | (%) of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 13th | Shewly Kundu | 2 | 0 / 60 |
 new |
0.03 | new |
822 | Lost |