Strange is the politics and strange claims, TMC finds a non-existent party in Tripura to bank on

Tripura went into a vortex of confusion when the breakaway group of the Trinamool Congress announced that they would join a Tripura based political party on Sunday. 

Fact remains, none in Tripura really remembers existence of any political party named as “Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI)” which was being referred to. But the TMC breakaways declared they merged with the party immediately triggering confusion, controversies and questions.

It is not only that none ever heard of this party—which later reports said is led by someone with headquarters in Howrah, West Bengal, but also for the fact that those were named as point men of the so called NCPI in Tripura—those two who contested in 2023 assembly elections – flatly denied of existence of the so called “NCPI” in the state.

Actually, the controversy intensified after claims surfaced in national media reports describing the NCPI as a Tripura-based political party. However, a leader associated with the party in the state has strongly disputed such assertions.

According to records available with the Election Commission of India (ECI), the NCPI, is a registered unrecognised political party. But in the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections from Kailashahar it was Jahangir Ali along with few others, who had fought the poll battle and faced miserable defeat with less than 0.03 percent votes.

In any case, when after the latest development hit the headlines, one of those candidates, Jahangir Ali, who contested from Kailashahar said “the NCPI cannot be described as a Tripura-based party”. 

Speaking to reporters, he was clear -- that the party's national leadership was based in West Bengal.

Ali further claimed that the NCPI currently had no functional state committee in Tripura. That raised the questions about the basis on which the party was being projected as having roots in the state. On being asked about the merger announcement, he said, no information was available with him so far. 

The merger announcement by the rebel TMC faction has unexpectedly brought the little-known or unknown “NCPI” into the spotlight.

The portrayal of the party as a Tripura-based organisation has triggered discussions within political circles and it is being viewed as a ‘deliberate attempt’ by the TMC breakaway group who could not really impress other national parties. They are now banking on a ghost party.