Kolkata : The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) has announced Jyotiprakash Chatterji as its new president, a significant leadership change occurring after a Trinamool Congress (TMC) rebel faction merged with the party.
Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) appoints Jyotiprakash Chatterji as its new president.
The leadership change follows the merger of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) rebel Lok Sabha faction with NCPI.
Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a prominent figure from the dissident camp, confirmed Chatterji's appointment.
Internal confusion exists within NCPI regarding the new president, with some members unaware of the development.
NCPI, registered in January 2023, has a limited electoral history and financial resources. The Nationalist Citizens Party of India, which has been thrust into the spotlight after the Trinamool Congress rebel Lok Sabha faction's merger with it, has named Jyotiprakash Chatterji as its new president, according to Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a key face of the dissident camp.
Ghosh Dastidar's statement came a day after NCPI founder Shewli Kundu told reporters that she had stepped down as the NCPI chief, triggering speculation that Ghosh Dastidar herself had taken charge of the party.
Responding to a query from PTI on Tuesday, Ghosh Dastidar said Chatterji is the new president of NCPI.
Uncertainty Surrounds New NCPI Leadership : However, little is known about Chatterji, much like the party itself.
Shantanu Dey, who calls himself the NCPI's national organisation general secretary, told PTI that he had no information about the new president.
"I don't know who Jyotiprakash Chatterji is. I have no idea what's happening with the NCPI, a party for which I worked so hard. I am glad that big leaders are joining us, but we have not been contacted by them so far. I am disheartened by the fact that we are being kept in the dark," Dey, whose name also finds mention as the NCPI's general secretary in the party's old campaign posters, said.
NCPI's Brief History and Electoral Performance : The NCPI registered as a political party in January 2023, with its address listed in Election Commission of India (ECI) records as a building in Sankarail, Howrah district, West Bengal.
In the 2023 Tripura Assembly polls, the party fielded four candidates and campaigned on the slogan: 'Reject political turncoats.' Of the four candidates, two contested on the party symbol, one as an Independent, while the nomination of the fourth was rejected.
NCPI candidate Barjeda Tripura polled 536 votes, 36 more than NOTA, while another candidate secured 286 votes. The Independent candidate backed by the party received 376 votes.
According to the party's annual auditor's report submitted to the ECI for 2022-23, NCPI had a closing cash balance of Rs 75 after spending Rs 1.13 lakh out of the Rs 1,13,075 it received in donations from 'well-wishers'.
