Actress Koel Mallick resigns from Rajya Sabha

Actress-turned-politician Koel Mallick on Thursday resigned from the Rajya Sabha, adding to the growing list of Trinamool Congress (TMC) parliamentarians stepping down from the Upper House and intensifying speculation over the future political alignment of several party MPs.

Mallick’s resignation came amid mounting political uncertainty within the TMC. Earlier, former Rajya Sabha members Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Susmita Dev had also resigned from the Upper House.

On Thursday morning, Prakash Chik Baraik formally submitted his resignation to Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan.

Following Baraik’s exit, the TMC’s strength in the Rajya Sabha fell to 10, before dropping further to nine after Mallick submitted her resignation later in the day.

The actress had been nominated to the Rajya Sabha ahead of the Assembly elections in what was widely viewed as a strategic move by TMC leadership, including former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

After becoming an MP, Mallick had visited the new Parliament building in New Delhi along with her family, including veteran actor Ranjit Mallick, and had actively participated in the party’s election campaign on several occasions.

Political observers said Mallick’s resignation comes at a time when the TMC is facing significant political challenges, with a series of setbacks triggering intense debate within the party and outside.

Sources indicated that the actress was keen to distance herself from the ongoing political controversies and preferred to step away rather than become embroiled in the escalating political turbulence.

The latest resignation has further altered the arithmetic in the Rajya Sabha, where the TMC’s representation has been shrinking rapidly over the past few days.