REBEL TMC MPs SEEK LAST-MINUTE EXTENSION AS ANTI-DEFECTION DEADLINE EXPIRES

October 8, 2026

Twenty Trinamool Congress MPs who have aligned themselves with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India have sought another two weeks from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to respond to disqualification notices issued against them under the anti-defection law.

The request was made on Thursday as the deadline for submitting their replies expired. Rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said the group needed additional time because its legal team had not yet completed the preparation of the response and was still gathering and organising the necessary documents.

The MPs had been directed by the Lok Sabha secretariat to submit their replies by October 8 in connection with a petition seeking their disqualification. Ghosh Dastidar said the request for a further fortnight had been sent to the Lok Sabha secretariat.

The rebel MPs have maintained that their decision to leave the TMC and align with the NCPI does not make them liable for disqualification. The proceedings stem from a petition seeking action against them under the anti-defection provisions.

The 20 MPs were also scheduled to meet in Kolkata on Thursday afternoon to discuss the notices and determine their next course of action.

With the deadline approaching and the legal response still incomplete, the request for additional time has added another stage to the continuing dispute over the parliamentary status of the 20 MPs and the anti-defection proceedings pending before the Lok Sabha Speaker.