Sukhendu Sekhar Ray quits Rajya Sabha and TMC, cites corruption and crime
Synopsis
Veteran TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray has quit both Parliament and the party, publicly blaming 15 years of corruption and crime under TMC rule for the BJP's historic West Bengal victory. His exit arrives as rebel blocs form in both the state assembly and the TMC's parliamentary party — suggesting the post-election fracture inside Trinamool is widening fast.
Key Takeaways
Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned from the Rajya Sabha and TMC primary membership on 8 June .
Ray cited rampant corruption, crime against women , and deterioration in education, health, and law and order during TMC's 15-year rule in West Bengal.
He credited these failures with enabling the BJP to form its first-ever government in West Bengal.
The resignation came while Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee were in New Delhi for an INDIA bloc meeting.
Rebel blocs are reportedly forming in both the West Bengal Assembly and the TMC Parliamentary Party , deepening the party's post-election crisis.
Veteran All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Sekhar Ray on Monday, 8 June announced his resignation from both Parliament and the party, delivering a sharp public indictment of the TMC's 15-year rule in West Bengal. The move marks one of the most high-profile individual exits from the party since its landslide defeat in the recent state assembly elections.
What Ray Said
In a formal press statement, Ray attributed the TMC's sweeping electoral rejection to what he described as 'rampant corruption, indiscriminate crime against women', and a broad deterioration across education, health, industrial development, employment generation, and law and order during the party's tenure. He said these accumulated failures handed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) its first-ever majority government in West Bengal.
'Already, the newly elected state government of West Bengal has started working to fulfil the promises made in its election manifesto and has started multiple programmes for the overall development and progress of West Bengal. I accept this overwhelming verdict from the people of West Bengal in the recently concluded West Bengal assembly elections and resign from both the Rajya Sabha as well as from primary membership of the Trinamool Congress,' Ray said in his statement.
Timing and Internal Crisis
The resignation landed as TMC supremo and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew and party General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee were in New Delhi to attend a crucial meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc — leaving the party's top leadership away from Kolkata at a politically sensitive moment.
Notably, Ray's exit compounds what is already a multi-front internal crisis for the TMC. The party is simultaneously contending with the formation of a new majority bloc of rebel legislators within the West Bengal Assembly, and a brewing parallel effort to organise a similar rebel grouping within the TMC's Parliamentary Party, reportedly under the leadership of Lok Sabha member Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who recently stepped down from all party posts.
A Long-Running Dissent
Ray's break with the TMC leadership had been building for months. He had been openly critical of the party's top brass following the R.G. Kar Medical College rape and murder case in Kolkata in August 2024, though at that stage he stopped short of resigning. His criticism grew louder after the assembly poll results, which saw the TMC lose power to the BJP. This is the Nth such resignation from the TMC in recent weeks, underscoring the scale of the post-election fracture within the party.
What Comes Next
Ray's departure from the Rajya Sabha will trigger a by-election process for his seat. With rebel blocs reportedly forming in both the state assembly and the parliamentary party, the TMC faces the prospect of a sustained organisational unravelling unless its leadership moves quickly to contain dissent upon returning from New Delhi.
Point of View
But by long-serving insiders like Ray who were silent during the R.G. Kar crisis and are now speaking out after electoral defeat. The question is whether this is a managed exodus or the beginning of something the party cannot contain.
NationPress
24 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resign from the TMC and Rajya Sabha?
Ray cited rampant corruption, crime against women, and deterioration in education, health, and law and order during TMC's 15-year rule in West Bengal as the reasons for his resignation. He said these factors led to the party's mass rejection in the recent assembly elections and the BJP's historic win in the state.
When did Sukhendu Sekhar Ray announce his resignation?
Ray announced his resignation on Monday, 8 June, through a formal press statement. The announcement came while TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and party General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee were in New Delhi for an INDIA bloc meeting.
What is the rebel bloc crisis inside the TMC?
The TMC is reportedly facing the formation of two separate rebel groupings — one among legislators in the West Bengal Assembly and another within the TMC Parliamentary Party, reportedly led by Lok Sabha member Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who recently quit all party posts. Ray's resignation adds to this mounting internal pressure.
Who is Sukhendu Sekhar Ray?
Sukhendu Sekhar Ray is a veteran TMC leader who served as a Rajya Sabha member. He had been publicly critical of the party leadership since the R.G. Kar Medical College rape and murder case in Kolkata in August 2024, and grew more vocal after the TMC's defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections.
What happens to Ray's Rajya Sabha seat after his resignation?
Ray's resignation from the Rajya Sabha will trigger a by-election process for his seat, as per standard parliamentary procedure. The timing and specifics of that process will be determined by the Election Commission of India.
