Former Silchar MP and Trinamool Congress leader Sushmita Dev resigned from the Rajya Sabha on June 10, setting off fresh speculation over her political future after reports emerged of a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi.
Dev, who represented Silchar in the Lok Sabha as a Congress MP before joining the All India Trinamool Congress in 2021, submitted her resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan and requested that it be accepted with immediate effect.
Her resignation comes amid indications of growing unease within the Trinamool Congress. Sources said Dev met Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma soon after stepping down from the Upper House, sparking speculation that she may join the Bharatiya Janata Party in the near future.
After losing the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Dev left the Congress and joined the Trinamool Congress, where she quickly rose through the ranks. She later served as the party’s national spokesperson before being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
Her departure marks the second resignation from the Trinamool Congress’ parliamentary ranks within a week. Earlier, senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy resigned from both the Upper House and the party, dealing a setback to the Mamata Banerjee-led organisation.
In his resignation letter to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Roy alleged that corruption, atrocities against women and failures in governance in areas such as education, healthcare, industry, employment and law and order had led to growing public discontent with the party.
Roy also praised the BJP’s performance in West Bengal, stating that voters had given the party a historic mandate and that the new government had initiated programmes aimed at the state’s development and reconstruction.
The back-to-back resignations have intensified political uncertainty within the Trinamool Congress and raised questions about the party’s ability to retain senior leaders amid shifting political dynamics.
Neither Sushmita Dev nor the BJP has officially confirmed any move regarding her possible induction into the party. However, her reported meeting with Himanta Biswa Sarma has further fuelled speculation that the former Assam Congress leader could be preparing for another political transition.
