Kolkata, Jun 11 (UNI) The Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered another setback in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday as party MP Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from the Upper House amid ongoing political turbulence within the party.
Baraik formally submitted his resignation to Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan at around 11 am.
With his exit, the strength of the Trinamool Congress in the Rajya Sabha has come down to 10.
His resignation comes days after two other TMC Rajya Sabha MPs, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Sushmita Dev, stepped down from the Upper House, making Baraik the third Trinamool MP to resign from Parliament this week.
Considered one of the prominent young faces of the party in North Bengal, Baraik is known in political circles as being close to TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The party had nominated him to the Rajya Sabha in 2023 and later fielded him from the Alipurduar Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general election, although he was unsuccessful.
The Trinamool leadership had projected Baraik as a key figure in its efforts to strengthen the party organisation in North Bengal.
There was also speculation within party circles that he could be considered for a role in the state Assembly elections this year, though that did not eventually materialise.
The reasons behind his sudden resignation remain unclear.
While political observers have begun speculating about the circumstances leading to his decision, Baraik has not made any public statement so far.
His resignation has also fuelled speculation over whether he has merely stepped down as a Rajya Sabha member or is preparing for a larger political move in the coming days.
However, neither the party nor Baraik has issued any official clarification on the matter.
Political analysts said the real reasons behind the resignation would become clearer only after Baraik publicly outlines his future course of action. Until then, his silence is likely to keep political circles guessing.
UNI SAG RSA