Sushmita hints at Assam return after quitting TMC

TLE Desk: Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sushmita Dev on Wednesday indicated that her political future lies in Assam rather than West Bengal, fuelling speculation that she could join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reports India Today.

Dev’s remarks came shortly after she resigned from both the TMC and her Rajya Sabha membership, becoming the second TMC Rajya Sabha MP to quit the party following its poor performance in the 2026 elections.

Speaking to India Today, the former Congress MP from Assam’s Silchar constituency said her decision was driven by both personal and political considerations.

“I have both personal and political reasons. Where I do politics and how I do it is my personal right. If I am giving up my TMC membership, then I should give up my Rajya Sabha seat as well,” she said.

Dev, who joined the TMC in 2021 after leaving the Congress, rose rapidly within the party and served as its national spokesperson before entering the Rajya Sabha.

Speculation over her next political move intensified after she met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi following her resignation.

According to sources cited by India Today, Dev is likely to join the BJP and may contest a forthcoming Lok Sabha by-election in Assam.

“My politics is not in Bengal; it lies in Assam. I want to do my politics there, that’s all,” she said, confirming her meeting with Sarma while declining to comment on any potential party switch.

Dev also praised the BJP government’s development initiatives in Assam, particularly in the Barak Valley region.

“The BJP is going to remain in power for the next five years. The kind of infrastructure push that has happened, especially in Barak Valley, is remarkable. I have done my politics there. I have never seen such development in the region before,” she said.

Commenting on Sarma’s leadership, Dev said electoral success reflected public approval of his performance.

“If you look at his track record, Himanta Biswa Sarma has been voted back to power. That is because people like his work. It is the people who can give the best verdict on a politician’s leadership,” she added.

Dev represented Silchar in the Lok Sabha as a Congress MP before losing the seat to the BJP in the 2019 general election.