The Trinamool Congress (TMC) faced another setback on Wednesday as Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev resigned from the Upper House, marking the second high-profile exit from the party’s parliamentary ranks in less than a week.
Dev submitted her resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan and requested that it be accepted with immediate effect. Her exit comes at a time when the party is facing a significant political challenge in the state. A former Congress leader from Assam’s Silchar constituency, she joined the TMC in 2021 after losing the 2019 Lok Sabha election. She subsequently emerged as one of the party’s prominent national faces, serving as its spokesperson before being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
Her resignation follows the exit of veteran Trinamool leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who stepped down from the Rajya Sabha last week. Roy, who had served as the party’s chief whip in the Upper House for over a decade, also resigned from the party and publicly criticised its leadership.
In his resignation letter, Roy alleged that the people of West Bengal had rejected the Trinamool Congress over issues including corruption, law and order, governance and the party’s handling of various sectors such as education, healthcare and employment. He also referred to the recent electoral outcome in West Bengal and praised the incoming BJP government, saying it had begun implementing its development agenda in line with its election commitments.
The latest resignation adds to the challenges confronting the Trinamool Congress, which has also been dealing with signs of internal unrest within its legislative ranks. The developments have intensified scrutiny over the party’s cohesion as it navigates one of its most turbulent phases in recent years.