Three Former TMC MPs Join BJP for Rajya Sabha Bypolls

Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MPs Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, and Prakash Chik Baraik joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kolkata on July 9, 2026. Shortly after their induction at the BJP state headquarters in Salt Lake, the party nominated all three as candidates for the July 24 Rajya Sabha by-elections to fill the seats they had vacated after resigning in June.

Dev and Roy attributed their move to trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision and the BJP's commitment to its manifesto. Dev cited widespread corruption within the TMC and criticized the party's failure to campaign in the Falta bypoll. Roy alleged he had faced death threats and police intimidation after demanding action in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital case. West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya welcomed the leaders, stating their arrival reflects growing confidence in the Prime Minister's leadership.

The defections coincide with a severe internal crisis for the TMC following its defeat in the West Bengal assembly polls. The party has seen approximately 65 of its 80 recently elected MLAs and 20 Lok Sabha MPs defect to a rebel faction or the Nationalist Citizens Party of India. In a defiant video message on July 10, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of attempting to dismantle her party through intimidation and engineered defections, asserting that the BJP would have to kill her to silence her. TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh further criticized the move, claiming the BJP is using political formulas to engineer victories without a public mandate.