The Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered another setback on Thursday as Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from both the Upper House and the party, becoming the third TMC parliamentarian to quit this week amid an escalating political crisis following the party's defeat in the Bengal Assembly elections.
Baraik met Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan and submitted his resignation, sources said. Later, speaking to reporters outside the residence of BJP leader Nishikant Dubey, the tribal leader from Bengal cited the electoral verdict as the reason behind his decision.
"People of Bengal have given their mandate to the BJP. The TMC did not win. Looking at the mandate given by the people of Bengal, I am resigning from the party", Baraik said.
In his resignation letter, the MP wrote, "I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect." He also thanked the chairman, deputy chairman and officials of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat for their cooperation during his tenure.
Baraik was serving as a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and the Consultative Committee on Tribal Affairs.
His resignation follows the exits of Rajya Sabha MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Sushmita Dev earlier this week. Ray resigned from the Upper House on Monday and later announced his departure from the Trinamool Congress, citing differences with the party leadership.
On Wednesday, Sushmita Dev resigned from Parliament and the party. She subsequently met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi, fuelling speculation about her future political plans.
With Baraik's resignation, the Trinamool Congress has now lost three Rajya Sabha members within a week, deepening the turmoil within the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
The crisis intensified last week when more than two-thirds of the party's MLAs — 58 out of 80 legislators — broke away from the official TMC legislature party and secured recognition as the principal opposition bloc in the Bengal Assembly under expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee. The rebel camp has since claimed that its strength has increased further.
The rebellion has also spread to Parliament, with dissident MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claiming the support of more than 20 Lok Sabha members. Jadavpur MP Saayoni Ghosh and Kolkata Dakshin MP Mala Roy joined the rebel camp on Wednesday, adding to the pressure on the party leadership.