New Delhi | Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is likely to decide on Monday morning on the proposed merger of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs with the little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), official sources said.
The Speaker on Saturday approved the merger of six rebel MPs of the Shiv Sena (UBT) with the Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, but deferred the decision on the TMC rebels.
Birla, however, agreed to provide separate seats for the rebel MPs of the TMC, away from the parent party's lawmakers.
Sources said that the Speaker had asked the rebel TMC MPs to submit certain documents, including the proof of the NCPI's registration with the Election Commission, besides some other documents, which were provided by senior leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar to the Speaker's office on Sunday evening.
Sources said that after examining the documents, the Speaker's office is learnt to have conveyed its opinion and Birla is likely to make public his decision on the rebel MPs of the TMC on Monday morning, before the monsoon session begins at 11 am.
As many as 20 out of 28 TMC MPs revolted against the TMC leadership following its defeat in assembly elections in West Bengal and joined the NCPI.
They have submitted a petition before the Speaker, urging him to recognise the NCPI as a political party.
The rebel TMC MPs also expressed their willingness to join the BJP-led NDA.
Dastidar and another senior leader, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, on Sunday attended the all-party meeting as representatives of the NCPI following an invitation from the government.
Peeved at their participation, the entire opposition briefly staged a walkout of the all-party meeting before returning to take part in the discussions.
