In a major political change that has severely hurt the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), former Rajya Sabha members Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, and Prakash Chik Baraik have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kolkata. The induction ceremony took place at the state headquarters of the saffron party in Salt Lake, where the West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya welcomed the trio by handing them the party flags. This high-profile defection comes weeks after the three leaders resigned from the Upper House and broke up with the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
The mass exodus is a result of its own internal rebellion that has rocked the TMC after a defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections. Ritabrata Banerjee, leader of the MLAs, was appointed the Leader of the Opposition with 57 legislators’ backing. It was a political revolt, and it went on in both Houses of Parliament, with multiple MPs revolting against the party’s leadership.
As he gave a speech to the media in the joining ceremony, Samik Bhattacharya of the BJP in West Bengal said the entry of these three experienced parliamentarians would strengthen the BJP, which is now ruling in the state. He said the entire state leadership, including Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, is very happy to see them coming in and welcomes them wholeheartedly. Bhattacharya took a swipe at both the TMC and the Left alliance in the face of the central government and its policy of trying to oppose development in West Bengal and their approach to development.
The defecting leaders brought a lot of political weight to their new party. Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, a veteran politician who was elected to the Rajya Sabha by Mamata Banerjee since 2011, openly criticized his former party, citing rampant corruption, poor governance, and the extreme oppression of women as major turning points for his exit. He said the Assembly election results proved that the public had completely rejected the TMC's misrule.
Sushmita Dev, a key national figure who was head of the All India Mahila Congress before she joined the TMC in 2021, didn't speak against Mamata Banerjee directly but said she didn't want to remain in a compromised political position. She said she had personal and political reasons for the switch and that her political efforts will be concentrated on her home state of Assam under the new dispensation. Prakash Chik Baraik, the tribal chief from northern Bengal who became a member of the Upper House in 2023, said his decision is just a reflection of accepting the mandate and opinion given by the people of West Bengal.
The political switch has also caused a national crisis for the TMC, as it is reported that almost 20 Lok Sabha MPs have started to lean towards the rebel group, which is called the 'real TMC.' The BJP is presently holding three Rajya Sabha seats in the state and will win by-polls because it has a new majority in the state assembly that will help strengthen its hold on West Bengal's politics.
