Fresh blow to TMC as Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik resigns

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered another setback on Thursday after Rajya Sabha member Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from the Upper House, becoming the third party MP to quit within four days.

Baraik submitted his resignation to Rajya Sabha chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan on Thursday morning. While he has stepped down from Parliament, it remains unclear whether he will also resign from the primary membership of the Trinamool Congress.

His exit follows a string of high-profile resignations that have intensified concerns over growing discontent within the party ranks.

On 8 June, senior TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy resigned from both the Upper House and the party, saying he wanted to honour the verdict delivered by the people of West Bengal in the recently concluded assembly elections.

Two days later, Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev also resigned from Parliament and the party. Her subsequent meeting with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Delhi fuelled speculation about a possible switch to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Baraik, regarded as a close confidant of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, entered the Rajya Sabha in 2023 and was considered an influential party face in North Bengal.

Ahead of the assembly elections, there had been discussions within the party about fielding him from a North Bengal constituency, though the plan never materialised.

Neither Baraik nor the party has publicly explained the reasons behind his resignation. The development comes amid growing debate over the future direction of the Trinamool Congress and the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee following the party's recent electoral setback.

With three Rajya Sabha resignations in less than a week, questions are mounting over internal unrest within the ruling West Bengal party and the possibility of further exits in the days ahead.

With IANS inputs