Three Muslim MPs from the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), including former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, have clarified their position, stating they will not join the NDA and will prioritize answering to their voters. The MPs, who skipped an NDA meeting but attended a coordination meeting with Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to discuss developmental matters and voter list issues, emphasized their commitment to remaining within the NCPI. While they intend to make independent decisions on supporting the BJP in Parliament, this move has reportedly caused some internal discussions within the NCPI leadership as the MPs seek to balance their political future with the interests of their predominantly Muslim electorate.

Three Muslim MPs from the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), including former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, have clarified their position, stating they will not join the NDA and will prioritize answering to their voters. The MPs, who skipped an NDA meeting but attended a coordination meeting with Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to discuss developmental matters and voter list issues, emphasized their commitment to remaining within the NCPI. While they intend to make independent decisions on supporting the BJP in Parliament, this move has reportedly caused some internal discussions within the NCPI leadership as the MPs seek to balance their political future with the interests of their predominantly Muslim electorate.

Three Muslim MPs from the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), including former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, have clarified their position, stating they will not join the NDA and will prioritize answering to their voters. The MPs, who skipped an NDA meeting but attended a coordination meeting with Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to discuss developmental matters and voter list issues, emphasized their commitment to remaining within the NCPI. While they intend to make independent decisions on supporting the BJP in Parliament, this move has reportedly caused some internal discussions within the NCPI leadership as the MPs seek to balance their political future with the interests of their predominantly Muslim electorate.

Hinting at a rebellion within the Nationalist Citizens Party of India  (NCPI), the three Muslim MPs, including former cricketer Yusuf  Pathan, have cleared the air on supporting the NDA, stating “they had voters to answer to”.

Reports of rebellion came on Wednesday when three rebel TMC MPs – Murshidabad MP Abu Taher Khan, Jangipur MP Khalilur Rahaman, and Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan – skipped the NDA meeting for the second time. They, however, attended a coordination meeting in Delhi chaired by Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to discuss developmental work in their constituencies.


Khan has openly said it was not possible to merge with the BJP. In an interview with The Indian Express, Khan said they will not join the NDA either. “ We will be a part of the NCPI. We have voters to answer to. We will not vote on any Bill that goes against Muslims. However, on the question of development, we held a meeting with the Bengal CM,” he clarified.

Though Pathan was mum about skipping the NDA meet, he justified attending the meeting called by Suvendu Adhikari. “We were part of the meeting with the CM. I highlighted the plight of people whose names have been deleted from voter lists in Bengal. There are over 27 lakh. I also urged the CM to see whether tribunals can be set up to speed up the process. He said he will do whatever he can,” he clarified.

Rumours are that the three MPs are weighing the implications for the minority vote while simultaneously desiring an alliance with the ruling dispensation. Not willing to alienate their voter base, predominantly Muslims, the MPs are keen on retaining their seats in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. They fear closely aligning with the NDA, particularly the BJP, will not bode well for their political future. They, however, will remain within the NCPI but will decide independently on extending support to the BJP in Parliament.  

However, the NCPI leadership is not entirely happy with the decision of these three MPs, according to local media reports. Though the party has said that all 20 MPs are united and there are no differences among them, various discussions are going on in political circles.

There are also speculations that some of the 20 MPs are unhappy with the behaviour of a senior woman MP. Other speculations are that a new MP (first-time MP) and a senior MP were passing on NCPI news to Mamata Banerjee.

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