Former TMC MPs Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Ray and Prakash Baraik join BJP for Rajya Sabha bypolls

Three former Trinamool Congress MPs have been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. They switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party just days before their election. These leaders resigned from their previous posts last month after election results. Their return to the Upper House on BJP tickets marks a significant political shift. This development follows the Trinamool Congress's defeat in recent assembly elections.

Kolkata: Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik on Monday had submitted their nominations for Rajya Sabha polls in presence of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and other ministers.These three former Rajya Sabha members vacated their seats for which election is necessary and last week these three leaders joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and became the candidates of the Upper House soon after joining.Kolkata, West Bengal: BJP Rajya Sabha by-election candidates Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Prakash Chik Baraik, and Sushmita Dev filed their nominations at the West Bengal Assembly in the presence of party leaders and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari pic.twitter.com/NMY1uH6uQj— IANS (@ians_india) July 13, 2026 Talking to the media, Sushmita Dev said, “The Congress which initially did is no longer the same. I had joined TMC just seeing Mamata Banerjee. After May 4 new incidents of corruption surfaced for which I had to leave.”Without taking any name, Dev also questioned why someone would not go for a voice sample test.Notably, TMC national secretary Abhishek Banerjee has been asked to give his voice sample over his ‘DJ’ comment.Big Blow To TMC As Ex- MPs Sushmita Dev, Prakash Chik Baraik & Sukhen Shekhar Roy Join BJP In KolkataBJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya once again had said that the party will ‘not’ accept anyone from TMC.However, state panchayat minister Dilip Ghosh stated, “Where in the party's Constitution it is mentioned that someone from TMC will not be accepted? Our present Chief Minister was also once in TMC.”

Three Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant after Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from the Upper House of Parliament and quit the TMC following the party’s Assembly election defeat

Three former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MPs, Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik, have joined the BJP and have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha ahead of the July 24 bypolls. Here’s what the leaders said after switching parties and what the development means for West Bengal politics.

In a major political development in West Bengal, former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MPs Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, and Prakash Chik Baraik have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), weeks after resigning from the Upper House and quitting the TMC.The three leaders were inducted into the BJP in Kolkata in the presence of senior party leaders. Shortly after joining, the BJP announced them as its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha bypolls, signaling a significant political realignment in West Bengal. n18oc_india News18 Mobile App - https://onelink.to/desc-youtube

Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Ray And Prakash Baraik resigned from Rajya Sabha and quit the Trinamool Congress last month after the party's defeat in the Bengal elections.