Saket Gokhale. File | Photo credit: Hindu
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday (September 10, 2026) said that the Election Commission (EC) has not responded to a Right to Information (RTI) request seeking information about the Nationalist Civic Party of India (NCPI) even though 84 days have passed since the application was filed.
Soon after the Trinamool was defeated in the West Bengal Assembly elections on May 20, the 28 Lok Sabha MPs elected on the party list defected to the NCPI, a registered unrecognized political party (RUPP) hitherto little known.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, former Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale said the RTI application filed by him on June 16 sought records related to NCPI registration, constitution, office bearers, audited accounts, election expenditure and election participation. It also sought copies of donation reports filed under Section 29C of the Representation of the People Act, records of donations received by the party and details of any audits or investigations conducted by the EC.
Gokhale noted that NCPI was registered in West Bengal in 2023 and contested elections only once. The RTI has also sought records pertaining to verification of the registered office of the party and its functioning. “More than 84 days have passed and the Election Commission has not responded,” he said.
“Channel for money laundering”
The issue has assumed importance, Mr. Gokhale said, in the light of the recent report on registered unrecognized political parties (SUPs) showing disproportionate donations received by them and their apparently dismal performance in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Six of these parties registered in Gujarat have allegedly received donations worth ₹1,700 crore.
Noting that a Trinamool press conference on the issue scheduled for Monday was canceled due to a search by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at the party’s Delhi office, Mr. Gokhale asked, “Why is there no investigation or action being taken against the RUPP?” Donations to political parties are tax-deductible, which Mr. Gokhale says allows such organizations to be used as conduits for money laundering. He also questioned whether the lack of action was due to the alleged links between the parties and the BJP.
Speaking about the NCPI, Mr. Gokhale asked the EC to reveal details about the party’s office bearers and its organizational structure. He also said that the party had not filed dues returns for the last two years and questioned how 20 sitting Lok Sabha MPs elected on Trinamool Congress tickets and now joining the NCPI could have joined the party without more scrutiny of its credentials.
He said that in the second RTI application filed with the Lok Sabha secretariat, records related to the statement of 20 MPs that they left Trinamool and joined NCPI, including communications, statements and decisions related to the matter, were sought.
Published – September 10, 2026 10:10 PM EST.