The Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered another setback on Wednesday after Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev resigned from the Upper House, becoming the second party parliamentarian to step down within a week amid an escalating political crisis in the party.
Dev, a former Congress leader who joined the TMC in 2021, submitted her resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan. Her exit comes shortly after senior TMC leader Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned from both the Rajya Sabha and the party.
In her resignation letter, Dev expressed gratitude to the Rajya Sabha leadership and secretariat for their support during her tenure.
“I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect,” she wrote.
“I convey my sincere gratitude to Your Excellency, the Hon’ble Deputy Chairman and all functionaries of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat for extending all help and cooperation during my tenure as a member of the Rajya Sabha,” the letter added.
While Dev has not publicly stated the reasons behind her resignation, political circles are abuzz with speculation that she may soon leave the Trinamool Congress and join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Sources indicated that she recently met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, further fuelling rumours of a political shift.
Her resignation comes at a turbulent time for the Mamata Banerjee-led party, which has been grappling with an internal rebellion following its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The crisis has deepened in recent days, with several TMC MPs reportedly deciding to form a separate group and extend support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre. Simultaneously, a majority of the party’s 80 MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly are reported to have aligned with a separate faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, who has emerged as the Leader of the Opposition.
Dev’s departure is likely to intensify concerns within the TMC leadership over further defections and the growing challenge to the party’s organisational unity, both in Parliament and in West Bengal.
With two Rajya Sabha resignations in quick succession and continuing signs of unrest within the party ranks, the political future of the TMC appears to be entering a crucial and uncertain phase.
