Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata

Kolkata, Jun 10: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered another setback on Wednesday with party leader Sushmita Dev resigning from the Rajya Sabha, deepening the crisis within the party amid an ongoing rebellion by several of its lawmakers.

Dev submitted her resignation to Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan, seeking immediate acceptance of her resignation.

In her resignation letter, she expressed gratitude to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat and its officials for their cooperation during her tenure as a member of the Upper House.

Her exit makes her the second TMC Rajya Sabha MP to resign after Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, further reducing the party's strength in the Upper House. Following the two resignations, the TMC's tally in the Rajya Sabha has come down to 11 members.

The development comes amid mounting challenges for TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. Reports suggest that 20 of the party's 28 Lok Sabha MPs have rebelled and extended support to the ruling NDA, significantly weakening the party's position in Parliament.

Adding to the speculation surrounding her future political plans, Dev met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shortly after submitting her resignation, fuelling rumours that she may join the BJP in the coming days.

The resignation also follows reports of unrest within the party in West Bengal, where a group of MLAs is said to have backed rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee.

A former Congress leader, Dev represented Silchar in Assam in the Lok Sabha before joining the Trinamool Congress in 2021 after losing the 2019 general election. She subsequently emerged as one of the party's prominent national faces and served as its national spokesperson before being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

Her resignation is being viewed as another significant blow to the TMC leadership at a time when the party is grappling with internal dissent and political uncertainty.