Fresh Jolt To Mamata Didi: Celebrity TMC MP Koel Mallick Resigns From Rajya Sabha, Party's Strength Dips To 9 In House

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee faced another backlash on Thursday as yet another Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP resigned from the Rajya Sabha. The fresh setback came as actor-politician Koel Mallick, popularly referred to as ‘Tolly-Queen’, tendered her resignation, becoming the second TMC leader to resign from the Upper House in a day.

Koel's resignation comes just over two months after she took an oath as a Rajya Sabha MP on April 6, saying she was honoured to be given an opportunity to serve the people of West Bengal.

TMC's Strength Dips To 9

Notably, Koel is the fourth TMC Rajya Sabha MP to resign in a week. Her resignation has brought the party's strength in the House from nine.

Koel Mallick's resignation came just hours after TMC MP Prakash Chik Baraik from the Rajya Sabha, saying his decision was guided by the sentiments of the people of West Bengal while refusing to rule out a possible switch to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

When asked whether he was set to join the BJP, the former TMC MP remained guarded but left the door open to speculation. "Time will tell," he said.

The other two leaders who have resigned from the House are Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Sushmita Dev.

Sushmita Dev resigned from her parliamentary seat and all party positions on Wednesday.

Her sudden departure came less than twenty-four hours after veteran leader Sukhendu Sekhar Ray quit the party and resigned from his upper house seat.

In his resignation letter to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Sukhendu said that the people of Bengal had “rejected the party's rampant corruption, extreme oppression of women, and its utter failure and the severe anarchy prevailing across sectors, including education, healthcare, industry, employment, and law and order.”

Praising the BJP, Sukhendu further wrote: “The voters have, for the first time in Bengal’s history, given the Bharatiya Janata Party a massive victory in terms of seats. The newly elected government has already begun working to implement multiple programmes for Bengal’s overall development and reconstruction, in line with its election promises.”

The internal crisis within the TMC comes following its landslide defeat in the state Assembly elections, where it won just 80 out of 294 seats and lost power after ruling over West Bengal for 15 years.

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