As many as 20,000 members of the Indian Progressive Front (IPF) may be leaving for a new party called the Malaysian Indian People's Force (MIPF).

MIPF organising chairperson MP Segaran told national news agency Bernama today that once the Registrar of Societies gives the okay, the disgruntled members in IPF will hop on board the new party.

The former IPF Youth secretary claimed that some 1,000 other ex-members are expected join him in spearheading the formation of the new party in a meeting on Jan 11.

When asked, Segaran said the new party would support the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) like the IPF, but "we have no plans to pester the BN to allow us into the coalition".

IPF has applied many times to join the BN but was consistently rejected mainly by the MIC in a consensus system practised by the coalition.

The system requires all 14 BN component parties to agree to the admission of a party into the coalition.

IPF was formed by MG Pandithan after he was expelled from the MIC for indiscipline.