Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has given approval for separate seating in the House for the 20 rebel TMC MPs who have joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
In a late evening development on Saturday the 18th of July 2026, Om Birla also gave his approval to the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
With the merger of the six MPs, the strength of the Shiv Sena has gone up to 13 from seven in the Lower House of Parliament.
Earlier in the day the Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju invited TMC rebel leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay as the new leader of NCPI in the Lok Sabha to attend the All Party Meeting of the Floor Leaders to discuss the agenda before the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
