Former TMC MP Sushmita Dev joins BJP along with two ex-Rajya Sabha colleagues in Kolkata
Former TMC leaders Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik joined the BJP in Kolkata on July 9. The move came weeks after they resigned from the Rajya Sabha and quit the Trinamool Congress, while speculation continues over Dev's possible return to the Upper House from West Bengal.
- Jul 09, 2026,
- Updated Jul 09, 2026, 6:33 PM IST
- The trio moved weeks after quitting Trinamool and resigning from Rajya Sabha
- Sushmita Dev had served as Trinamool's national spokesperson in Parliament
- Before Trinamool, Dev represented Assam's Silchar in the Lok Sabha
Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and ex-Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev on July 9 formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kolkata, along with former TMC Rajya Sabha MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik.
The three leaders joined the BJP weeks after resigning from the Rajya Sabha and quitting the Trinamool Congress following the party's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
Sushmita Dev, a former Congress leader who joined the TMC in 2021, had served as the party's national spokesperson and represented West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha. Before joining the TMC, she was a Lok Sabha MP from Assam's Silchar constituency and had also headed the All India Mahila Congress.
Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, one of the TMC's senior parliamentary leaders, had represented West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha since 2011 before resigning from both Parliament and the party, citing differences with the leadership. Prakash Chik Baraik, who entered the Rajya Sabha in 2023, also resigned from the Upper House and the TMC before joining the BJP.
Political circles are speculating that Sushmita Dev could be fielded by the BJP as a Rajya Sabha candidate from West Bengal in the near future, although the party has not made any official announcement in this regard.
