Another Setback For Mamata: TMC's Sushmita Dev Resigns As Rajya Sabha MP, Meets Himanta Biswa Sarma Amid BJP Switch Buzz

Kolkata: In a major jolt to the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), prominent leader and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Sushmita Dev has resigned from her parliamentary seat and all party positions on Wednesday.

This comes amid an internal rift within the party and a series of resignations after losing the Legislative Assembly election.

Her sudden departure deals another massive blow to party supremo Mamata Banerjee, coming less than twenty-four hours after veteran leader Sukhendu Sekhar Ray quit the party and resigned his upper house seat.

The exit of the former All India Mahila Congress chief, who crossed over from the Congress to the TMC with much fanfare in 2021, shows the growing challenges the ruling West Bengal faces in maintaining its national footprint.

Dev's exit marks a deeper, systemic fracture within the TMC as it grapples with a massive wave of internal rebellion.

Two Exits in Two Days?

Dev, the national spokesperson for the TMC and the daughter of veteran political heavyweight Santosh Mohan Dev, submitted her formal resignation on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

Her exit is part of a widening structural collapse within the party's parliamentary unit. The resignation follows a chaotic week for the regional powerhouse.

Just a day prior, veteran MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray vacated his Rajya Sabha seat, and Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar similarly stepped down from all organisational responsibilities.

A Sudden Exit 

Dev, a prominent face from Assam’s Silchar region and daughter of veteran Congress leader Santosh Mohan Dev, was specifically brought into the TMC fold to spearhead the party’s expansion strategies in the Northeast, particularly in Assam and Tripura.

Dev was explicitly brought in as the face of the TMC's expansion strategy outside of West Bengal.

Although her formal resignation letter did not explicitly outline immediate grievances, deep-seated disagreements over regional strategy, leadership delegation, and local alliance dynamics were triggered.

"I have submitted my formal resignation from the primary membership of the party," a source close to Dev confirmed. “While this marks the end of a specific chapter, the commitment to public service remains unchanged.”

With Dev walking away, the TMC’s blueprint to establish itself as a viable pan-Indian national alternative is effectively shattered.

"I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect. I convey my sincere gratitude to Your Excellency, Hon'ble Deputy Chairman and all functionaries of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat extending all help and cooperation during my tenure as a Member of the Rajya Sabha," she wrote in a letter.

Earlier on June 8, Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned as a member of the Upper House of Parliament and from the primary membership of the TMC.

In his resignation letter to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Sukhendu said 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.”

Sushmita Dev changes her bio on X (formerly Twitter) after resignation.

Sushmita Dev also met Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi on Wednesday morning. There is speculation that she may also join the BJP at a later stage. Dev was earlier with the Congress before switching to the TMC. Her father, the late Santosh Mohan Dev, was a Union Minister in the UPA-1 government.

The series of resignations comes amidst the ongoing speculations of a split in the TMC, with about 20 Lok Sabha MPs rebelling.

Rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar had confirmed that a faction of 20 MPs has formally requested the Lok Sabha Speaker for separate seating arrangements.

She said, "We are 20 MPs who have requested the Speaker for separate seating, and we will be working in conjunction with the Central and State Government for the development of West Bengal".

Rebel MPs meeting Union Minister and BJP West Bengal election in-charge Bhupender Yadav and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, has sparked speculation of the faction merging with the NDA.

As per the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, also known as the anti-defection law, the rebel MPs would require a merger with 2/3rd majority to avoid disqualification.

Meanwhile, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee met with LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at 10, Janpath, Delhi. Yesterday, TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee met Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi amid the internal rift in the party.

A rebellion was also led by expelled party MLA Ritabrata Banerjee in the West Bengal assembly. Banerjee, who was expelled from the TMC due to anti-party activities, formed a separate faction in the West Bengal assembly with the support of 58 MLAs, and was later elected as Leader of Opposition, replacing Sobhandev Chattopadhyay. 

Sukanta Majumdar on Sushmita Dev's resignation, “If the party members are not satisfied with the leadership,  they will quit. There will be no such party by the name of TMC in the upcoming years. We said that once the party loses the elections, TMC will be sabotaged.”