We joined this party.” A journalist asked – Where is this party, Dada? “It is a political party. It is a recognized regional party.
So we merged with that party.” Talking to journalists, Sudip Bandopadhyay, the main leader of the rebel group of Trinamool, said that they all have joined the Nationalist Citizens Party. In the very next sentence of the announcement of joining the second party, he said that they will claim to be the real Trinamool party and who is the real one, it will be decided in the court. Similarly. The dilemma was also seen in Shatabdi Roy’s statements, when he talked about not claiming the Trinamool symbol, but also said that the Speaker will decide.
There will be legal obstacles in the merger
Sudip Bandopadhyay did not look comfortable while taking the name of the party he was joining. He was seen struggling to ensure that there was no mistake in taking the name. But this happened. While introducing the party, he said that it is a recognized regional party, whereas the party which is registered with the Election Commission by this name, is in the unrecognized category. This includes those parties which are not national or state parties and they do not get any fixed election symbol. Till now no one has come forward from NCP. What is the status of the party, who are in its organisation, whether it knows anything about this merger or not, whether the party being discussed is this or some other party – nothing is clear. Even though Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool seems to be surrounded by challenges, the way forward is not easy for BJP and the rebel faction of Trinamool. You may have to face legal hurdles in the merger. BJP also has to overcome those apprehensions, considering which it considered it appropriate to stay away from Kaaba-Medina.
Balance-sheet of Rs 75 in 2023
Some details of Nationalist Citizens Party are available on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal. The party had submitted Form 24A and auditor report for the financial year 2022-2023 two years ago. Form 24A contains details of donations received by the party and has to be submitted to get income tax exemption. According to the details of the party in this declaration, its full name is Nationalist Citizens Party of India, status is ‘Unrecognized’, registration date is 20 January 2023 and address is Howrah, West Bengal. The registration number registered with the Election Commission is 56/205/2022-23/PPS-I, which appears in the annual audit report. According to the audit report, after the financial year ending March 31, 2023, only Rs 75 were left with the party.
In January, the party registers and collects Rs 1,13,075 through donations. The registration fee shows Rs 10,000, the election fee of Tripura is Rs 49,400 and from the remaining, she also contests elections on two seats in Tripura. Barjeda, candidate from Chaumanu (Assembly Constituency No. 49) and Jahangir Ali from Kailashahar in the February 2023 Tripura elections. The bail of both is confiscated. Barjeda gets 536 votes and Jahangir gets 286 votes.
Some irregularities are seen even in donations of small amounts like Rs 1 lakh. Actually Form 24A is filled for those donations which are more than Rs 20,000. It contains names of 9 people and the largest amount is Rs 18,000, the smallest is Rs 5,000. Not a single donation exceeds Rs 20,000. The total sum of 9 donations is Rs 1,13,075. This is the entire income of the party.
Took cash contrary to law, not even PAN
In 2017, the government had made a rule for political parties that cash donations cannot exceed Rs 2,000. But NCP had already declared that it had taken all the donations in cash. There is no PAN of anyone in the form. The amount is very nominal, but not legally correct. More than the amount, there are serious discrepancies in other details. Form 24A has been signed by Shewali Kundu as the party president and the name of the donor at number 8 in the same form is also hers. The name at number 7 is Bibhuti Bhushan Saha and in the declaration for verification at the end of the form, Shewali Kundu, daughter of Bibhuti Bhushan Saha is written. That is, Kundu and his father together donated Rs 30,000 to the party and then Kundu, as the president, is certifying that everything is correct. The amount may be small, but it is a matter of one’s own donation, one’s own seal. The most interesting thing is that NCPI with a balance sheet of Rs 75 has become the shield of the largest party in the world and the most powerful party in its country.