The decision by 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs to merge with the little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is being seen by many as a political masterstroke. On paper, it allows the dissidents to claim protection under the anti-defection law, retain their parliamentary positions and avoid immediate disqualification.

However, the merger does not solve two tests of political inheritance—first, the clever legal ploy does not allow the new party to claim that it owns the left-of-centre, welfare-orientated mandate that gained the original TMC 41 per cent of Bengal’s popular vote; and second, it does not carve out a new political space for them, giving them any unique selling proposition which can be sold to the electorate.

Merger Strategy Under Anti-Defection LawInstead, the rebels’ strategy rests on a straightforward calculation—by bringing........

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