Assam's Sushmita Dev quits Rajya Sabha, meets Himanta Biswa Sarma; BJP entry likely

Former Silchar MP and Trinamool Congress leader Sushmita Dev resigned from the Rajya Sabha on June 10, triggering fresh speculation about her political future after she reportedly met 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, requesting that it be accepted with immediate effect.

Her resignation comes amid reports of growing dissent within the Trinamool Congress. Sources indicated that Dev met Sarma shortly after stepping down from the Upper House, fuelling speculation that she could join the Bharatiya Janata Party in the coming days.

Dev had joined the Trinamool Congress after her defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and quickly rose through the party ranks, serving as its national spokesperson before being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

Her exit marks the second resignation from the party's parliamentary ranks within a week. Earlier, senior TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy resigned from the Upper House, dealing a significant blow to the party leadership.

In his resignation letter to TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Roy alleged that the people of West Bengal had rejected the party due to corruption, oppression of women and failures in governance across sectors such as education, healthcare, industry, employment and law and order.

Roy also praised the BJP's electoral performance in West Bengal, stating that voters had delivered the party a historic mandate and that the newly elected government had begun implementing 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 key leaders amid shifting political equations.

Neither Dev nor the BJP has officially confirmed any plans regarding her possible induction into the party. However, her meeting with Sarma has added momentum to speculation that the former Assam Congress leader may be preparing for another political shift.