In a significant development following the Trinamool Congress's electoral setback in West Bengal, seventeen out of twenty rebel MPs who broke away from party chief Mamata Banerjee are expected to join the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of or shortly after the Durga Puja festivities in October. The announcement came during a press interaction in Kolkata on Sunday, where Koch Bihar MP Jgadis Chandra Barma Basunivia disclosed the group's plans. Three other defectors — including former cricketer Yusuf Pathan — will support the BJP from outside the party rather than formally joining. Basunivia emphasized that because more than two-thirds of the original twenty-member rebel group will be making the switch together, the anti-defection law will not be triggered against them. The rebels had initially parted ways with Mamata Banerjee on June 14, shortly after the TMC suffered a decisive defeat in the state assembly elections. That loss marked the end of decades-long Trinamool dominance in West Bengal and triggered a wave of defections as MLAs and MPs reassessed their political futures. The upcoming entry of seventeen MPs into the BJP could substantially strengthen the party's parliamentary presence in the state and shift the balance of political discourse ahead of future electoral contests. Political observers note that the timing — before the culturally significant Durga Puja — may also carry symbolic weight, signaling a clean break from the Trinamool and a fresh beginning aligned with the national ruling party. The three MPs supporting from outside will retain independent status while coordinating with BJP agendas, a arrangement that has been used in Indian politics when full formal membership is not immediately feasible. The TMC has not yet issued an official response to these developments, but sources within the party have expressed concern over the growing erosion of its parliamentary caucus.