The customary weekly meeting of the NDA parliamentary party on Tuesday (July 28, 2026), termed ‘Mangal Milan’, saw MPs of the Nationalist Citizen’s Party of India (NCPI) — recently part of a breakaway faction of the Trinamool Congress — in attendance for the first time.

“NCPI is already registered with the Election Commission, and we have given all the documents to the Speaker for our recognition, and they have recognised us as a part of the NDA. That’s why they called us to the meeting today. But further talks are going on regarding our seating arrangements and further recognition. So as it happens, we will let you know,” said Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the NCPI’s chief whip.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who attended the meeting, also stopped to speak to Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Deb who had recently joined the BJP after quitting the TMC. According to those standing nearby when the exchange happened, Mr. Modi recalled his friendship with the MP’s late father and former Union minister Santosh Mohan Deb.