Third TMC Rajya Sabha exit this week; Mamata Banerjee stares at party split
With Prakash Chik Baraik's resignation, the party's strength in the Rajya Sabha is set to fall to 10 MPs. Sources further indicated that as many as three more TMC Rajya Sabha MPs could resign within the next week, potentially deepening the crisis for the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
TMC suffered another setback on Thursday as Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from the Upper House. His exit comes after the resignations of Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Sushmita Dev, taking the number of TMC Rajya Sabha MPs to quit in recent days to three.
With Baraik's resignation, which has been accepted by Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan, the party's strength in the Rajya Sabha is set to fall to 10 MPs. Sources further indicated that as many as three more TMC Rajya Sabha MPs could resign within the next week, potentially deepening the crisis for the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
In his first reaction after resigning from the Rajya Sabha, Baraik said his decision was not made under pressure from the BJP. However, he went on to say that he would do whatever West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari asked of him.
"I resigned after considering the mandate of the people of Bengal. Now, I will do as the CM (Suvendu Adhikari) asks me to...I am not being pressurised by BJP," he said.
The crisis among TMC parliamentarians began with the resignation of Mamata Banerjee's trusted aide Sukhendu Sekhar Roy on Monday, while the TMC chief was in Delhi attending a series of meetings with INDIA bloc leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, to devise a national opposition strategy against the BJP and discuss the future course of her party after it suffered one setback after another following its rout in the 2026 Assembly polls.
Day by day, Mamata's hold over her legislative party appears to be weakening, with 58 of her 80 MLAs backing rebel MLA Ritabrata Banerjee. That number has now risen to 64, with Ritabrata -- who was chosen as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly by Mamata's colleagues, much to her chagrin -- claiming that more MLAs will join the rebel camp in the coming days.
As Mamata's house in the Assembly came crashing down like a pack of cards, the rebellion soon spread to Delhi. In the Rajya Sabha, Roy, who had also served as the party's Chief Whip in the Upper House for 13 years, set off a wave of resignations. He was followed by Sushmita Dev on Wednesday and Baraik on Thursday, with sources now indicating that three more MPs could be on their way out before the end of next week.
However, the crisis was not confined to the Bengal Assembly and the Rajya Sabha. It soon spread like wildfire to the Lok Sabha as well. On Wednesday, as Mamata concluded her three-day trip to Delhi and returned to Kolkata, sources revealed the names of 19 out of the party's 28 Lok Sabha MPs who are reportedly seeking to break away from her and join the NDA.
Led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the breakaway bloc within the Trinamool has approached the Speaker seeking official recognition and has also expressed its intention to support the NDA. However, one of the biggest surprises on the list was Saayoni Ghosh, the TMC MP from Jadavpur, who had initially pledged her allegiance to Mamata following the party's Assembly debacle.
Also among the rebel Lok Sabha MPs are Yusuf Pathan and Shatrughan Sinha, both unexpected additions to the breakaway camp. Today, famous footballer Prasun Banerjee was the 20th MP to join the rebel camp, with Mamata's party spiralling deep into a split with every passing day.
TMC suffered another setback on Thursday as Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from the Upper House. His exit comes after the resignations of Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Sushmita Dev, taking the number of TMC Rajya Sabha MPs to quit in recent days to three.
With Baraik's resignation, which has been accepted by Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan, the party's strength in the Rajya Sabha is set to fall to 10 MPs. Sources further indicated that as many as three more TMC Rajya Sabha MPs could resign within the next week, potentially deepening the crisis for the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
In his first reaction after resigning from the Rajya Sabha, Baraik said his decision was not made under pressure from the BJP. However, he went on to say that he would do whatever West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari asked of him.
"I resigned after considering the mandate of the people of Bengal. Now, I will do as the CM (Suvendu Adhikari) asks me to...I am not being pressurised by BJP," he said.
The crisis among TMC parliamentarians began with the resignation of Mamata Banerjee's trusted aide Sukhendu Sekhar Roy on Monday, while the TMC chief was in Delhi attending a series of meetings with INDIA bloc leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, to devise a national opposition strategy against the BJP and discuss the future course of her party after it suffered one setback after another following its rout in the 2026 Assembly polls.
Day by day, Mamata's hold over her legislative party appears to be weakening, with 58 of her 80 MLAs backing rebel MLA Ritabrata Banerjee. That number has now risen to 64, with Ritabrata -- who was chosen as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly by Mamata's colleagues, much to her chagrin -- claiming that more MLAs will join the rebel camp in the coming days.
As Mamata's house in the Assembly came crashing down like a pack of cards, the rebellion soon spread to Delhi. In the Rajya Sabha, Roy, who had also served as the party's Chief Whip in the Upper House for 13 years, set off a wave of resignations. He was followed by Sushmita Dev on Wednesday and Baraik on Thursday, with sources now indicating that three more MPs could be on their way out before the end of next week.
However, the crisis was not confined to the Bengal Assembly and the Rajya Sabha. It soon spread like wildfire to the Lok Sabha as well. On Wednesday, as Mamata concluded her three-day trip to Delhi and returned to Kolkata, sources revealed the names of 19 out of the party's 28 Lok Sabha MPs who are reportedly seeking to break away from her and join the NDA.
Led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the breakaway bloc within the Trinamool has approached the Speaker seeking official recognition and has also expressed its intention to support the NDA. However, one of the biggest surprises on the list was Saayoni Ghosh, the TMC MP from Jadavpur, who had initially pledged her allegiance to Mamata following the party's Assembly debacle.
Also among the rebel Lok Sabha MPs are Yusuf Pathan and Shatrughan Sinha, both unexpected additions to the breakaway camp. Today, famous footballer Prasun Banerjee was the 20th MP to join the rebel camp, with Mamata's party spiralling deep into a split with every passing day.
