The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) on Wednesday said it was open to welcoming MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT) and indicated that its parliamentary strength could soon increase, even as its founding members remain uncertain about the identity of its newly appointed president.
In a post on X, the party said, “We welcome all Shiv Sena UBT MPs who want to join our party.” In a separate social media post, NCPI claimed its strength in Parliament was expected to rise from 20 MPs to 22 MPs in the coming days.
“As stated by MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the parliamentary strength of NCPI is expected to increase from 20 MPs to 22 MPs in the coming days. This development reflects the growing confidence in our commitment to democracy, development, transparency, and public service,” the party said.
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The outreach to Sena UBT MPs comes at a time when the NCPI functionaries await the public emergence of its newly appointed president, Jyotiprakash Chatterji. During a meeting of the party's founder members on Wednesday, discussions centred not on the merger that recently brought the outfit into the spotlight, but on the identity of its new chief, according to a report by The Times of India.
Several founder members told the publication they knew little about Chatterji and had learned of his appointment through a Facebook post that did not carry his photograph.
“We came to know about the new president from a Facebook post which only showed the silhouette of a man. There was no photograph or any details. So, most of our discussion revolved around who he actually is. We have heard that he is an advocate at Calcutta HC, but beyond that, we know very little,” Santanu Dey, who claims to be the party’s organisational secretary, was quoted as saying by TOI.
Eight founder members met at an address near Ruby Hospital off the EM Bypass on Wednesday to discuss the party's next steps following the merger. Participants said they were still awaiting clarity from the party’s central leadership, which they said is now largely being steered by the rebel Trinamool Congress MPs who joined the outfit on Sunday.
“There were supposed to be discussions on the restructuring of party posts now that we have 20 MPs. But instead, the conversation centered almost entirely on the new president because none of us know him,” another founder member was quoted as saying.
Party functionaries said they are expected to meet again later this week. Discussions are also likely to focus on the induction of grassroots Trinamool workers, many of whom have already begun reaching out to NCPI leaders.
Meanwhile, former party president Shewly Kundu, who did not attend Wednesday’s meeting, confirmed that a new president had been chosen.
(With inputs from TOI)
