Sushmita Dev, a senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Rajya Sabha MP, resigned from her parliamentary seat and party membership on June 10, 2024 [1].

The departure represents a significant blow to TMC leader Mamata Banerjee, as the party faces a mounting crisis marked by a series of high-profile resignations from senior officials.

Dev resigned from both her Rajya Sabha seat and her primary membership within the TMC [2]. Following her exit, she met with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Delhi [3]. Reports indicate that she is expected to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following these discussions [2, 3].

This move comes during a volatile period for the TMC leadership in West Bengal. The party's stability has been under pressure following previous departures of senior leaders, a trend that has created successive jolts for the party administration [4].

The political landscape in the region remains unstable. The West Bengal Legislative Assembly was dissolved on May 7, 2024 [5], further complicating the governance and party structure as the TMC navigates these internal defections.

Dev's transition to the BJP is seen as part of a larger shift in regional allegiances. By moving toward the BJP, Dev aligns herself with the party that has been aggressively expanding its footprint in the east, often by absorbing former TMC members.

“Sushmita Dev resigned from her parliamentary seat and party membership on June 10, 2024.”

The resignation of Sushmita Dev signals a deepening vulnerability for the Trinamool Congress. By losing a senior Rajya Sabha member to the BJP, the TMC loses not only a legislative vote but also a high-profile face in the upper house. This defection, occurring shortly after the dissolution of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, suggests a period of realignment where the BJP is successfully capitalizing on the TMC's internal instability to weaken the party's regional dominance.