"It's a long story why I left TMC": Sushmita Dev confirms exit from Mamata Banerjee's party

Former Silchar MP and Rajya Sabha member Sushmita Dev on June 10 confirmed that she has left the All India Trinamool Congress, a day after resigning from the Rajya Sabha, further fuelling speculation about her next political move.

Speaking to reporters, Dev said, “I have left Trinamool Congress. It is a long story why I left TMC. I don't want to be in a situation where I am in two boats at the same time. I will not comment on Mamata Didi.”

Her statement marks the first public confirmation of her departure from the party led by Mamata Banerjee. However, Dev refrained from elaborating on the reasons behind her decision and declined to comment on the TMC chief.

The development comes amid reports that Dev met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi shortly after submitting her resignation from the Upper House. The meeting has intensified speculation that the former Congress leader may be headed for the Bharatiya Janata Party, although no official announcement has been made.

Dev's exit is significant given her political journey. The daughter of late Congress stalwart Santosh Mohan Dev, she represented Silchar in Assam's Barak Valley as a Congress MP from 2014 to 2019. Following her defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she left the Congress in 2021 and joined the Trinamool Congress as part of Mamata Banerjee's efforts to expand the party beyond West Bengal.

Within a short period, Dev emerged as one of TMC's most prominent national faces. She was appointed the party's national spokesperson and later sent to the Rajya Sabha, where she played a key role in articulating the party's positions on national issues.

Her resignation comes at a turbulent time for the TMC. Earlier this week, senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy also resigned from the Upper House and severed ties with the party. In his resignation letter, Roy accused the TMC of corruption, governance failures and failing to address key issues affecting West Bengal.

The back-to-back departures have raised questions about internal cohesion within the Trinamool Congress and have provided political ammunition to the party's rivals.

For Assam politics, Dev's move could prove consequential. As one of the most recognisable political figures from the Barak Valley, her next step will be closely watched, particularly with the 2029 Lok Sabha elections on the horizon. If she joins the BJP, it would mark her second major political shift in five years and strengthen the party's outreach in southern Assam.

While Dev has confirmed her exit from the TMC, she has not yet disclosed her future political plans, leaving room for speculation over her next destination.