TMC Turmoil
Mamata's troubles deepen! Sushmita Dev quits Rajya Sabha, Himanta meet sparks BJP buzz
New Delhi/IBNS: In another setback for former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sushmita Dev resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday as the party continues to grapple with a series of defections and internal turmoil, according to media reports.
Sushmita Dev Resigns From Rajya Sabha
Sushmita Dev formally submitted her resignation after meeting Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan.
Her subsequent meeting with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has fuelled speculation that she could join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power at the Centre as well as in Assam and West Bengal.
With Dev's resignation, the TMC's strength in the Rajya Sabha has reportedly come down to 11 members.
Who Is Sushmita Dev?
Sushmita Dev is a former Congress leader and ex-Lok Sabha MP from Assam's Silchar constituency.
She served as the president of the All India Mahila Congress before quitting the Congress in August 2021.
She joined the Trinamool Congress on August 16, 2021, in the presence of senior TMC leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O'Brien, a day after resigning from the Congress.
She was later elected to the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal and emerged as one of the party's prominent faces in the Northeast.
Fresh Blow After Sukhendu Sekhar Roy's Exit
Days earlier, senior leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy resigned as a Rajya Sabha MP and also quit the primary membership of the TMC, intensifying the crisis within the party.
The back-to-back exits have added to concerns over the party's internal cohesion following its recent electoral setbacks.
Turmoil in Lok Sabha
The TMC's position in the Lok Sabha has weakened significantly after a group of 20 MPs offered support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and formed a separate bloc.
If the numbers hold, Mamata Banerjee would be left with only a small core of loyal MPs in the Lower House as the party faces one of the most serious internal challenges in its history.
Trouble Deepens in West Bengal Assembly
Back in Kolkata, the TMC lost the official opposition party's status after around 60 MLAs led by expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee formed a separate bloc in the state assembly.
Ritabrata has been projected as the Leader of the Opposition by the rebel camp, which has openly challenged the authority of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The controversy has been further complicated by allegations from some rebel legislators that their signatures were forged in a party letter nominating Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition, prompting a CID probe into the matter.
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