Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, a senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Rajya Sabha MP, has resigned from both the party and the upper house [1, 2].
The exit signals a deepening internal crisis for the party led by Mamata Banerjee. Roy's departure comes amid growing rebellion within the TMC, where dissident lawmakers are debating whether to form a separate parliamentary faction or shift their support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) [1, 3].
Roy highlighted the scale of the party's instability during his exit. "I have never seen around 60 MLAs leave in such a short span of time," Roy said [2].
Reports indicate that the party's instability is widespread across West Bengal and the Rajya Sabha [1, 2]. The number of MLAs who have left the party in a short period is estimated at around 60 [4].
There is conflicting information regarding the future alignment of the dissident members. Some reports state that dissident MPs are seeking recognition as a separate parliamentary faction, and have expressed support for the NDA [1]. Other reports suggest that many of the rebel TMC MPs are likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) [3].
This wave of resignations and internal dissent creates a volatile political environment in West Bengal. The potential for a formal split in the parliamentary ranks could weaken the party's influence in the upper house and shift the balance of power in the region [1, 3].
“"I have never seen around 60 MLAs leave in such a short span of time."”
The resignation of a high-profile figure like Sukhendu Sekhar Roy suggests that the internal rift within the TMC is no longer limited to low-level dissent. If a significant bloc of MPs and MLAs successfully forms a separate faction or migrates to the NDA, it could jeopardize the TMC's legislative stability in West Bengal and diminish its collective bargaining power in the Rajya Sabha.
