Sushmita Dev, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP, has resigned from all party posts and her parliamentary seat [1, 2].
The departure signals a period of volatility for the TMC, as Dev is the second Rajya Sabha MP from the party to resign this week [1]. Such exits from the upper house can disrupt the party's legislative strategy and influence its standing in New Delhi.
Dev addressed her resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan [1, 2]. In her formal letter, she said, "I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect" [1].
While the resignation marks a clean break from her official roles, Dev has avoided public conflict with the party's top leadership. When questioned about her departure and her relationship with the party head, she said, "Won't comment against Mamata Banerjee" [2].
The timing of the resignation occurred on the third day of the current week [2]. Following her departure from the parliamentary seat, Dev was photographed meeting with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Sarma in Assam [1, 2].
This wave of departures follows other internal party tensions. In separate reports regarding TMC resignations, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said there was "unbridled corruption and anarchical rule" [2]. Dev, however, has not attributed her own decision to these specific grievances.
“"I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha"”
The resignation of two Rajya Sabha MPs within a single week suggests internal instability or a strategic shift within the Trinamool Congress. Dev's subsequent meeting with Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Sarma, a leader of a different political alignment, may indicate a future shift in her political affiliation despite her refusal to publicly criticize Mamata Banerjee.
