TMC Hit by Fresh Setback as Sushmita Dev Quits Rajya Sabha, Meets Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

The crisis within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) deepened on Wednesday as party leader Sushmita Dev resigned from her Rajya Sabha seat, marking the second high-profile departure from Parliament for the Mamata Banerjee-led party this week.

The resignation comes days after veteran TMC leader Sukhendu Sekhar Ray stepped down from the Upper House, citing what he described as “unbridled corruption” and “anarchical rule” within the party.

Sushmita Dev, a former president of the All India Mahila Congress, joined the TMC in 2021 after leaving the Congress following her defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. She currently serves as the party’s national spokesperson and has been one of its prominent national faces.

Soon after her resignation, photographs of Dev meeting Assam Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi surfaced, triggering fresh speculation about her political future.

Mounting Challenges for Mamata Banerjee

The developments have added to the growing turmoil within the TMC following the party’s defeat to the BJP in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections.

Party chief Mamata Banerjee is facing increasing pressure to maintain unity within the organisation as signs of internal dissent continue to emerge among both legislators and parliamentarians.

Last week, TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee staked claim to the position of Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, asserting support from 58 lawmakers. Around the same time, MP Kakoli Ghosh publicly indicated support for a possible split in the party, claiming the backing of 19 rebel MPs and expressing willingness to support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Ray’s Exit Signals Deepening Discontent

Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, one of the TMC’s most recognisable voices in Parliament, announced his resignation in Delhi just hours before a meeting of the INDIA bloc attended by Mamata Banerjee and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

In his resignation statement, Ray alleged widespread corruption in both governance and party functioning, while claiming that public anger against the former TMC government had reached worrying levels.

With consecutive resignations and open signs of rebellion from within its ranks, the TMC is confronting one of the most serious internal crises in its history, raising questions about the party’s cohesion and leadership as it attempts to regroup after its electoral setback.