A relatively unknown political group, the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), has suddenly come into national focus after a breakaway group of 20 Trinamool Congress (TMC) Members of Parliament announced that they would be merging with it. The NCPI had earlier contested the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections, fielding candidates in four constituencies — Chawamanu, Ambassa, Karamchara and Kailashahar. However, the nomination of two candidates got cancelled and the party could contest only two seats-- Chawamanu and Kailashahar.
Its performance was weak, with candidates either finishing behind the “None of the Above” (NOTA) option or managing only a small number of votes above it.
During the campaign, the party promoted the slogan urging voters to “reject political turncoats to save your rights”. Its posters also carried the message: “To save your rights, reject political turncoats. Support social workers, not political personalities.” The party asked voters to support its pen-nib symbol, which it had received as a registered unrecognised political party.
The unexpected merger announcement has now brought the NCPI into the national spotlight, despite its limited electoral presence and modest performance in the Tripura polls.
Meanwhile, security has been heightened outside the party office in Howrah.
About the NCPI
The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is a registered but unrecognised political party with the Election Commission of India. The party is mainly active in the Northeast of India and has taken part in elections in Tripura. It has also been reported to have expanded its activities in Meghalaya.
In some accounts, the party is described as a regional outfit with notable support among Bengali-speaking voters, especially in Tripura. However, despite being registered, the NCPI has remained largely outside national political attention and has achieved only limited success in elections so far.
Despite the growing focus on the party, there is still limited publicly available information about its origins and leadership. The NCPI is registered with the Election Commission of India, but details about its founder, senior leaders and organisational structure are not clearly documented in public sources.
At present, the party’s activities remain largely centred in the Northeast, with Tripura being its main area of operation. It is also believed to be building some presence in Meghalaya, although its overall political footprint remains relatively small compared to major national parties.
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