India, July 3 -- The TMC rebellion and the next test of India's anti-defection law

Nearly four decades after India enacted the anti-defection law to curb political horse-trading, the Constitution is once again confronting a question it has never fully answered," When elected representatives abandon the political party on whose symbol they were elected, who truly owns the electoral mandate; the legislators or the political party?"

The ongoing controversy involving rebel Members of Parliament from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), coupled with recent developments within the Shiv Sena, has revived this constitutional debate in a manner that could significantly reshape India's anti-defection jurisprudence. What appears at first glance to be ano...