Sushmita Dev, a former Rajya Sabha MP and member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), resigned from her post and the party on Wednesday [1].
Dev's exit marks a significant blow to the TMC leadership, as she is the second party MP to step down within a single week [2]. Her departure highlights growing instability within the party's ranks and a perceived failure of the leadership to maintain internal discipline.
Following her resignation, Dev met with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma [1]. In an interview, she questioned the party's ability to manage internal dissent, asking, "Why couldn’t 80-MLA rebellion be contained?" [3].
Dev pointed to a broader collapse of authority within the TMC. According to her, a rebellion involving 80 MLAs [3] and 19 out of 28 MPs [3] had become evident since May 4 [3]. She said she wanted to distance herself from scams specific to West Bengal [3].
Other reports suggest different motivations for the split. Some accounts attribute her decision to internal party dynamics and the aftermath of her 2019 Lok Sabha defeat [2].
Despite these differing accounts, the scale of the reported dissent is substantial. The loss of high-profile members from the Rajya Sabha limits the party's influence in the upper house of Parliament and signals a potential shift in political alignment for Dev as she engages with leadership in her home state of Assam [1].
“Why couldn’t 80-MLA rebellion be contained?”
The resignation of Sushmita Dev underscores a deepening crisis of confidence within the Trinamool Congress. By highlighting a rebellion of 80 MLAs and a majority of the party's MPs, Dev is framing the TMC's current state as one of systemic instability rather than isolated departures. Her immediate meeting with the Assam Chief Minister suggests a strategic pivot away from the TMC's West Bengal-centric power structure toward a different political trajectory in the Northeast.
