TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigns from party, steps down as Rajya Sabha member

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: (Jun 8) Veteran TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Shekhar Ray on Monday resigned from the party and stepped down as a member of the Upper House, dealing a fresh blow to the Mamata Banerjee-led outfit amid growing signs that the turbulence in its legislative wing may now be spilling over to its parliamentary ranks.

Ray, among TMC's most recognisable faces in Parliament, announced his decision in the national capital hours before a meeting of the INDIA bloc, to be attended by former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

His resignation comes barely days after an unprecedented rebellion in the party's legislature wing in West Bengal, where 58 TMC MLAs broke ranks with the leadership and backed Ritabrata Banerjee for the post of Leader of the Opposition, rejecting the party's official nominee Shovandeb Chattopadhyay.