The internal revolt within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) escalated sharply this week as Sushmita Dev, a former Rajya Sabha MP and prominent face of the party in Assam, resigned from both the party and the upper house, openly hinting that she may join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In interviews with Indian media, Dev framed her departure as a pragmatic decision rooted in Assam's political realities, stating that she saw no long-term political space for herself in West Bengal, where the TMC's leadership is concentrated. Her exit underscores a broader fragmentation within the TMC following its electoral defeat in the recent West Bengal assembly elections, which saw the BJP secure power for the first time in the state.

Viewed from Assam, Dev's move reflects a strategic recalibration by regional politicians who see the BJP's dominance as irreversible. She described politics as a matter of timing and expressed respect for Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a former Congressman who switched to the BJP and has since become a powerful figure in the Northeast. Analysts in New Delhi note that Dev's potential defection would bolster the BJP's efforts to expand its footprint in Assam's minority communities, where the TMC had hoped to position itself as an alternative. Her departure also highlights the TMC's inability to retain leaders outside West Bengal, a weakness that has long constrained its national ambitions.

The scale of the TMC's internal crisis is starkly illustrated by the numbers: according to reports, up to 60 of the party's 80 MLAs in the West Bengal assembly have aligned with rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee, who has been recognised by the Speaker as the Leader of the Opposition, sidelining the official candidate backed by Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek. This legislative coup, combined with the loss of figures like Dev, suggests that the party's post-election disarray is not merely a temporary setback but a structural fracture. From Kolkata, observers describe a party in which loyalty to the Banerjee family is being openly challenged, with defectors calculating that the BJP's ascent offers a more secure future.

Looking ahead, the TMC faces a critical test of its resilience. While Mamata Banerjee remains a formidable campaigner, the steady erosion of her parliamentary and legislative ranks threatens to undermine her ability to project the party as a credible national force. For the BJP, the absorption of TMC defectors offers a shortcut to building a presence in West Bengal and the Northeast, but it also risks internal friction as rival factions compete for influence. The coming weeks will reveal whether the TMC can stem the tide or whether this revolt marks the beginning of a longer decline, with implications for the opposition landscape ahead of the 2024 general election.