First Parliamentary Jolt For Mamata: TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray Resigns From Rajya Sabha

Published 8 June 2026 · politics

First Parliamentary Jolt For Mamata: TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray Resigns From Rajya Sabha Published By, Last Updated: June 08, 2026, 11:59 IST Sukhendu Sekhar

First Parliamentary Jolt For Mamata: TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray Resigns From Rajya Sabha Published By, Last Updated: June 08, 2026, 11:59 IST Sukhendu Sekhar Ray also quit the Trinamool Congress party primary membeship, citing disagreements with the party on the RG Kar rape case investigation. TMC leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy. (File Image) The Trinamool Congress suffered its first major setback in Parliament on Monday after senior Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned from the Upper House and quit the party. The development comes at a time when the party is battling a major internal crisis following the rebellion by a large section of its MLAs in West Bengal. Ray’s resignation is being viewed as a significant blow to the party leadership, especially after he had recently warned that the unrest in the Assembly could spread to Parliament. The latest development comes days after around 60 of the Trinamool Congress’s 80 MLAs backed expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.

The move dealt a major setback to the party and triggered concerns that a similar revolt could emerge among the party’s MPs. Ray had publicly indicated that such a possibility existed and suggested that developments in the Assembly could eventually be repeated in Parliament. His resignation now marks the first major parliamentary fallout from the ongoing crisis within the party. What he said after resignation? After stepping down, Ray referred to the RG Kar case and reiterated his position on the issue. “I had sought custodial interrogation of the police commissioner and the principal of RG Kar. I still believe they had the main role in tampering with the evidence," he said. His relationship with the party is seemed to have become strained during the RG Kar movement. Despite the differences, Ray had continued to stand with the party leadership on key issues. When Mamata Banerjee approached the Supreme Court over the SIR issue, he was by her side.

Long association with TMC Sukhendu Sekhar Ray first became a Rajya Sabha member in 2011. The Trinamool Congress nominated him to the Upper House on three consecutive occasions. Over the years, he remained one of the party’s senior parliamentary faces. During the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, when Mamata Banerjee contested from Nandigram, Ray was also sent there. However, it was alleged that party leaders did not pay sufficient attention to his views. Differences emerge after poll defeat Following the Trinamool Congress’s defeat in the 2026 elections, Ray openly expressed dissatisfaction through social media posts. He also strongly criticised the party over issues related to corruption. His public criticism fuelled speculation about growing differences between him and the party leadership. Those differences have now culminated in his resignation from both the Rajya Sabha and the Trinamool Congress. The exit of one of the party’s longest-serving parliamentarians adds to the challenges facing the Trinamool Congress as it attempts to contain a rebellion that has already shaken its organisation in West Bengal.