BJP Switch: Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Barma Basunia says 17 Trinamool MPs are awaiting legal clearance to join the BJP, while three minority MPs will support the NDA through NCPI.
Qalam Times News Network
SITAI, COOCH BEHAR | September 14, 2026
BJP Switch appears to be only a matter of time for a group of 17 Trinamool Congress MPs who have reportedly moved into the National Congress Party of India (NCPI), an NDA ally, while waiting for legal complications surrounding their political move to be resolved.
The BJP Switch plan was disclosed by Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Barma Basunia during a press conference at his residence in Sitai. Basunia, who won the Lok Sabha election on a Trinamool Congress ticket, said that he is no longer functioning as a Trinamool MP and described himself as the elected representative of Cooch Behar rather than a representative of any particular political party.
Cooch Behar BJP MP alleges political neglect and attacks on his office
Basunia said he has repeatedly faced difficulties while trying to visit his parliamentary office in his own constituency. The situation, he claimed, escalated on Sunday when his office was allegedly attacked and set on fire.
The Cooch Behar MP, who previously served as an MLA from Sitai and has his home in the same area, said the political circumstances had forced him to address the media.
According to Basunia, development work in the region remained inadequate during the Trinamool Congress government. He alleged that MPs were not given sufficient opportunity to speak during party meetings and that decisions were largely communicated by party supremo Mamata Banerjee.
He also claimed that he had faced a reprimand from Banerjee when he attempted to raise issues concerning the development and welfare of Rajbanshi youth. Basunia further alleged that Banerjee did not respond to his phone calls. Addressing allegations of corruption, Basunia said that nobody could accuse him of having demanded money for development-related work. He stressed that he no longer considered himself a Trinamool Congress MP and said that he was currently associated with NCPI, which he described as part of the NDA.
Basunia further claimed that he and 16 other Trinamool MPs are seeking to join the BJP because they believe development in their respective constituencies cannot be achieved through their existing parliamentary resources alone. For the time being, the MPs have reportedly joined or aligned themselves with NCPI. Basunia said that their eventual BJP Switch is being held up only because of legal complications. Once those issues are resolved, he said, the 17 MPs will move to the BJP.
The Cooch Behar MP also indicated that three other Trinamool MPs belonging to the minority community would remain with NCPI rather than join the BJP. However, according to Basunia, those MPs would continue to support the NDA.
The political claims made by Basunia come amid heightened speculation over the future alignment of several Trinamool Congress MPs. His statements suggest that the group is seeking to maintain its current political arrangement until the legal questions surrounding their proposed move to the BJP are settled. The allegations regarding the attack and fire at Basunia’s office, as well as his claims concerning the political treatment of MPs within the Trinamool Congress, would require independent verification from the relevant authorities and other parties involved.
