In yet another blow to the Trinamool Congress, Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev quit the party and resigned from the Upper House, citing political and personal reasons.
After Sukhendu Shekhar Ray, Dev is the
second MP to quit the TMC this week, as the party continues to juggle an internal dispute with efforts to rebuild its organisational strength in the aftermath of the poll debacle.
Speaking exclusively with CNN-News18, Sushmita Dev stressed that although she had resigned from the TMC, she hadn’t joined any other party.
“As of this morning, I’m not in any party. I have resigned from the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and left the Rajya Sabha seat also”, she said.
TMC Crisis LIVE Updates
Former TMC MP Sushmita Dev, in her first reaction after resigning, said: “As of now, I am not part of any party.”
Speaking to CNN-News18’s @_pallavighosh, Dev said she is currently independent and will take time before deciding her next political move.@akankshaswarups |… pic.twitter.com/Osht0j1C4L
— News18 (@CNNnews18) June 10, 2026
“Officially, till now, I’ve not joined any party”, Dev added.
‘No Place For Emotions’
Sushmita Dev, the daughter of Assam Congress veteran and influential Bengali leader Santosh Mohan Dev, said there was “no place for emotions in politics” as she asserted that her decision to quit the TMC stemmed from “personal and political” reasons.
“There’s no place for emotions in politics. It is clear that my politics is going to be in Assam. So, my decision to give up my seat as well as the primary membership of the Trinamool is very specific to my circumstances, personal and political reasons”, Dev said.
“Obviously, I’m a politician. There are political reasons. I felt that I needed to move on”, she added.
‘The Assam Connection’
In her letter addressed to Rajya Sabha chairman CP Radhakrishnan, Sushmita Dev said: “I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect”.
Shortly after her resignation, a picture of the leader with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at his Delhi-based residence surfaced online.
On being asked if there was an “Assam connection” behind the move, Dev appeared to be dropping a hint about her future plans, saying: “There’s only Assam connection”.
On Monday, veteran Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray announced his resignation from both the Upper House and the party.
In a press statement, Ray targeted the Mamata Banerjee-led party and its 15-year rule in West Bengal.
The development came close to the heels of an unprecedented rebellion among the party’s MLAs in West Bengal, where 58 TMC legislators broke ranks with the high command and backed Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly.
What followed was TMC MP, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, openly expressing her willingness to split away with the support of 19 fellow MPs and switch to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The emerging cracks within the Trinamool — which once stormed to power in Bengal in 2011 and ended over three decades of left rule — highlights underlying disputes with the leadership as the party faces an existential threat following an abysmal defeat in the Assembly Election 2026.
