KOLKATA: Even as most of its founding members remain in the dark about who their newly appointed president is, Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) Wednesday welcomed Sena UBT MPs who wanted to join them. In an X post, the party said, “We welcome all Shiv Sena UBT MPs who want to join our party.”The party, in another social media post, claimed its MPs will increase from 20 to 22. “As stated by MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the parliamentary strength of NCPI is expected to increase from 20 MPs to 22 MPs in the coming days. This development reflects the growing confidence in our commitment to democracy, development, transparency, and public service.”The party’s keenness to reach out to Sena UBT MPs and increase its numbers, however, comes as it waits for Jyotiprakash Chatterji, its new president, to step into the public eye. On Wednesday, the focus of a meeting of the party’s founder members was not the merger that has thrust the little-known outfit into the political spotlight, but the identity of the new chief himself.Several founder members admitted they knew nothing about Chatterji and had only learned of his appointment through a Facebook post that did not even carry his photograph. “We came to know about the new president from a Facebook post which only showed the silhouette of a man. There was no photograph or any details. So, most of our discussion revolved around who he actually is. We have heard that he is an advocate at Calcutta HC, but beyond that, we know very little,” said Santanu Dey, who claims to be the party’s organizational secretary.Eight founder members met at an address near Ruby Hospital off the EM Bypass on Wednesday to discuss the next steps following the merger. However, participants said they are still awaiting clarity from the party’s central leadership, which is now largely being steered by the rebel Trinamool MPs who joined the outfit on Sunday.“There were supposed to be discussions on the restructuring of party posts now that we have 20 MPs. But instead, the conversation centered almost entirely on the new president because none of us know him,” said another founder member. Party functionaries said they are expected to meet again later this week. Discussions are also likely to focus on the induction of grassroots Trinamool workers, many of whom have already started reaching out to NCPI netas. Meanwhile, former party president Shewly Kundu, who did not attend Wednesday’s meeting, confirmed that a new president had been chosen. (With inputs from Dipawali Mitra in Kolkata)
