Former Silchar MP and senior Trinamool Congress leader Sushmita Dev resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Wednessday, setting off fresh political speculation about her future after reports emerged that she met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi shortly after stepping down from the Upper House.
Dev submitted her resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan, requesting that it be accepted with immediate effect. While she has not publicly stated the reasons behind her decision, political circles are abuzz with speculation that she could be preparing to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
A former Congress leader and daughter of veteran politician Santosh Mohan Dev, Sushmita Dev represented the Silchar constituency in the Lok Sabha before leaving the Congress and joining the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2021. Following her induction into the party, she quickly emerged as one of its prominent national faces, serving as national spokesperson before being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
Her resignation comes amid reports of growing dissatisfaction within the Trinamool Congress and marks the second departure from the party’s parliamentary ranks within a week. Earlier, senior TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy also resigned from the Upper House, delivering a significant setback to the party leadership.
In his resignation letter addressed to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Roy alleged that widespread corruption, oppression of women and governance failures in sectors such as education, healthcare, industry, employment and law and order had led to public disillusionment with the party.
Roy further praised the BJP’s recent electoral performance in West Bengal, claiming that voters had delivered the party a historic mandate and that the newly elected government had already begun implementing measures 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 influential leaders at a time of shifting political alignments.
Although neither Sushmita Dev nor the BJP has officially commented on reports of her possible induction into the saffron party, her reported meeting with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has added fuel to speculation that the former Assam Congress leader may be on the verge of another major political transition.
Political observers believe any move by Dev could have significant implications in Assam’s Barak Valley region, where she continues to enjoy considerable political influence and recognition. As of now, however, her next political step remains officially unconfirmed.
