TMC MPs Rally Behind Mamata Banerjee Amid Political Developments

MP, June 12, 2026, Kolkata :  Amid continuing political developments within the Trinamool Congress, two party Lok Sabha MPs — Shatrughan Sinha and Pratima Mondal — publicly reaffirmed their loyalty to party chief Mamata Banerjee, while Rajya Sabha MP Babul Supriyo also dismissed speculation of joining either the rebel camp or any other political formation.

The statements come at a time when the TMC's strength in the Rajya Sabha has come down from 13 to 10 following the resignations of Prakash Chik Baraik.

Speculation is also doing the rounds over another Rajya Sabha MP, Koel Mallick's possible resignation, although no official confirmation had come till Thursday evening.

Rajya Sabha members serve fixed six-year terms, while one-third of the House retires every two years to ensure continuity.

The recent resignations have therefore left multiple terms incomplete.

Prakash Chik Baraik stepped down from the Rajya Sabha after serving nearly two years and ten months in the Upper House.

In his resignation, Baraik said he had taken the decision after witnessing what he described as the continuous electoral decline of the TMC in West Bengal and claimed that the public mandate was no longer with the party.

“There is no other reason behind my resignation. The public mandate is no longer in our favour,” he said.

Baraik also indicated that he would continue his political activities under the guidance of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

Earlier, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy resigned from both the Rajya Sabha and the party after serving nearly two years and ten months in his current term and 13 years as chief whip in the Upper House.

Sushmita Dev also resigned after serving a little over two years and said she had both personal and political reasons behind her decision.

Amid this, actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha said he would stand by Mamata Banerjee during the party’s difficult phase.

“Mamata ji stood by me. It is now my duty to stand by her,” he said.

Jaynagar MP Pratima Mondal also distanced herself from the dissident camp and denied being part of the group.

In a video shared on social media, Rajya Sabha MP Babul Supriyo rejected speculation over joining any other group and said he was neither joining any faction nor any other political party.

Calling such a move inappropriate, he said one should not abandon a ship when it is in troubled waters.

The crisis has meanwhile spread beyond Parliament.

Nineteen TMC Lok Sabha MPs have reportedly written to Speaker Om Birla expressing support for the rebel camp, while 64 MLAs have reportedly extended support to the dissident bloc in the Assembly.

Senior party leader Kirti Azad also attempted to counter the growing speculation and said he would never leave Mamata Banerjee’s side irrespective of the pressure brought upon him.

Referring to reports that his security cover had already been curtailed, Azad alleged that such measures were being used as a means of pressure.

He also questioned why the reported letter signed by 19 Lok Sabha MPs and said to have been submitted to the Speaker had not yet been made public.

“If there is so much support, why is it not official yet?” he said.