Trinamool Congress (TMC) faces a significant internal crisis with the resignation of Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev, marking the second such departure from the Upper House in recent days, following Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, and amid reports of a potential split within the party's parliamentary wing. Dev, who joined TMC in 2021 after leaving Congress, was photographed with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shortly after her resignation, fueling speculation about her next move. This comes after a reported revolt involving 20 Lok Sabha MPs, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who have written to the Lok Sabha Speaker expressing support for the BJP-led NDA to facilitate West Bengal's development, a move that could circumvent anti-defection laws if sustained. The party has been experiencing mounting internal dissent and recent resignations following a substantial electoral setback, with reported defiance from MLAs and a signature forgery case also contributing to the turmoil. While the TMC leadership has responded by highlighting official appointments and Ghosh Dastidar's resignation from party posts, the dissenting MPs appear to be operating as a separate parliamentary bloc to support the NDA without immediately resigning from the party, thus complicating potential disqualification efforts.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) faces a significant internal crisis with the resignation of Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev, marking the second such departure from the Upper House in recent days, following Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, and amid reports of a potential split within the party's parliamentary wing. Dev, who joined TMC in 2021 after leaving Congress, was photographed with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shortly after her resignation, fueling speculation about her next move. This comes after a reported revolt involving 20 Lok Sabha MPs, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who have written to the Lok Sabha Speaker expressing support for the BJP-led NDA to facilitate West Bengal's development, a move that could circumvent anti-defection laws if sustained. The party has been experiencing mounting internal dissent and recent resignations following a substantial electoral setback, with reported defiance from MLAs and a signature forgery case also contributing to the turmoil. While the TMC leadership has responded by highlighting official appointments and Ghosh Dastidar's resignation from party posts, the dissenting MPs appear to be operating as a separate parliamentary bloc to support the NDA without immediately resigning from the party, thus complicating potential disqualification efforts.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) faces a significant internal crisis with the resignation of Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev, marking the second such departure from the Upper House in recent days, following Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, and amid reports of a potential split within the party's parliamentary wing. Dev, who joined TMC in 2021 after leaving Congress, was photographed with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shortly after her resignation, fueling speculation about her next move. This comes after a reported revolt involving 20 Lok Sabha MPs, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who have written to the Lok Sabha Speaker expressing support for the BJP-led NDA to facilitate West Bengal's development, a move that could circumvent anti-defection laws if sustained. The party has been experiencing mounting internal dissent and recent resignations following a substantial electoral setback, with reported defiance from MLAs and a signature forgery case also contributing to the turmoil. While the TMC leadership has responded by highlighting official appointments and Ghosh Dastidar's resignation from party posts, the dissenting MPs appear to be operating as a separate parliamentary bloc to support the NDA without immediately resigning from the party, thus complicating potential disqualification efforts.

In another major setback for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev has resigned from the party and the Upper House, deepening what appears to be the party’s most serious internal crisis since its formation.

Dev is the second Rajya Sabha MP to step down in recent days, following the resignation of senior leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy on Monday.

"I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect," Dev said in a letter addressed to Rajya Sabha chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan.

Soon after her resignation, Dev met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, fuelling speculation about her possible switch to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A video of their meeting has since gone viral on social media.

The 53-year-old leader joined the Trinamool Congress in 2021 after leaving the Congress. She is the daughter of Assam Congress veteran Santosh Mohan Dev and had earlier served as an MP from Silchar, the traditional stronghold of her father.

Her exit comes amid a widening revolt within the party’s parliamentary ranks, with reports of 20 Lok Sabha MPs, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, writing to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressing support for the BJP-led NDA. The development has triggered concerns of a split within the party’s parliamentary wing.

The TMC, which governed West Bengal for 15 years under Mamata Banerjee, has been facing mounting internal dissent and a series of resignations in recent weeks, following its heavy electoral setback. The party was reduced to 80 seats, while the BJP swept to power for the first time with 207 seats.

The rift in the TMC came out in the open after 58 MLAs reportedly defied the leadership by backing expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition instead of the party’s official nominee Sovandeb Chattopadhyay. In the meantime, a signature forgery case also rattled the official leadership.

Eventually, the rebellion spilled over to TMC's parliamentary unit. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a four-term MP, told PTI that the 20 Lok Sabha MPs had chosen to support the NDA in order to ensure West Bengal’s development, adding that a signed letter had already been submitted to the Speaker.

The TMC, however, released a May 20 letter from party chief Mamata Banerjee informing the Speaker of the appointment of Kalyan Banerjee as chief whip. It also shared a separate letter in which Ghosh Dastidar had resigned from party posts.

According to reports, the dissenting MPs are not immediately resigning from the TMC or formally joining the BJP. Instead, they are likely to operate as a separate parliamentary bloc while extending support to the NDA, a move seen as an attempt to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.

If the support of 20 MPs is sustained, it could potentially meet the two-thirds threshold required for exemption under anti-defection provisions, complicating any move by the party leadership to seek their disqualification.

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