India, July 15 -- Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the NCPI is set to function as a separate parliamentary bloc in the Lok Sabha after its 20 MPs were allotted independent seating arrangements in the House. The development follows a meeting between senior NCPI leaders and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Sources said ex-TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay is likely to be appointed as the NCPI's leader in the Lok Sabha, while Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is expected to become the party's chief whip and Satabdi Roy its deputy leader. Sources further said Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday to discuss the party's parliamentary arrangements ahead of the session. Also Read - No backdoor talks with BJP; INDIA bloc to discuss delimitation after introduction of bill: Sule Sources said the 20 MPs have also been allotted a separate room in Parliament. Speaker Om Birla has reportedly called all NCPI MPs for a meeting on July 19, when the final parliamentary arrangements are expected to be discussed ahead of the Monsoon Session beginning on July 20. An all-party meeting is also scheduled for the same day, and the Speaker is expected to finalise the seating arrangements beforehand. Reacting to the developments, Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh termed the rebel NCPI MPs "traitors", alleging that they were elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on anti-BJP votes and in the name of Mamata Banerjee. He claimed the group had not only betrayed the party but had also cheated the people who elected them for a five-year term, further alleging that they were now working with the support of the BJP.
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