Major setback for Mamta Banerjee: Veteran TMC leader Sukhendu Roy quits party, resigns as Rajya Sabha MP

PTC News Desk: In a major setback for Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress' longest-serving member in the Rajya Sabha Sukhendu Sekhar Roy has resigned both as an MP and from the party.

In his resignation letter addressed to Mamata Banerjee, Sukhendu accused the Trinamool Congress of losing public trust due to what he described as widespread corruption, increasing crimes against women, and failures in key sectors such as education, healthcare, industry, employment, and law and order. 

He submitted the letter while Banerjee was in Delhi, where she was attempting to rebuild support for the INDIA bloc following the party's poor performance in the recent Assembly elections.

Praising BJP, Sukhendu further wrote: "The voters have, for the first time in Bengal’s history, given the Bharatiya Janata Party a massive victory in terms of seats. The newly elected government has already begun working to implement multiple programmes for Bengal’s overall development and reconstruction, in line with its election promises."

The electoral setback has deepened divisions within the TMC, which now appears to be split into two rival camps. Rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee has emerged as the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly after claiming the backing of 61 of the party's 80 MLAs. 

As Mamata Banerjee seeks to maintain her influence within the INDIA alliance, her position has been further weakened by the resignation of the party's Rajya Sabha chief whip. Compounding the crisis, sources indicate that around 23 TMC MPs are in contact with the dissident faction, raising the possibility of a similar split within the party's parliamentary wing.