Fourth Trinamool Congress MP, actor Koel Mallick, resigns from Rajya Sabha

In another jolt to the Trinamool Congress, its fourth Rajya Sabha member, Bengali actress Rukmini alias Koel Mallick, resigned from the Upper House on Thursday (July 16, 2026). 

The development comes days after the party’s three other Rajya Sabha MPs, Prakash Chik Baraik, Sushmita Dev and Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who resigned from House and also the party organisation, have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, and further nominated to the Rajya Sabha with their new political allegiance. 

All of the three also filed their nominations on July 13 for Rajya Sabha byelections scheduled for July 24.

Ms. Mallick, a prominent actress in the Bengali film industry, doesn’t come from a political background although her father, veteran actor Ranjit Mallick, is considered to be close to Mamata Banerjee. She was nominated by the Trinamool Congress along with former West Bengal Director General Rajeev Kumar, senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, and singer-turned-politician and former Minister Babul Supriyo in March when four seats of Rajya Sabha from the State fell vacant. 

She along with three other newly elected MPs took oath in the House on April 6, 2026. Her tenure was likely to end in 2032. 

Ms. Mallick has not made any statement to the media. In her resignation letter to the Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan, she also did not specify any reason behind her decision. 

However, soon after the resignation, she also met the Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav at his official residence in New Delhi. 

With Ms. Mallick’s resignation, the party’s strength in the Rajya Sabha is set to fall to 9 MPs from the total 13. 

After the BJP came to the power after the Assembly election, at least 20 MPs representing Trinamool Congress in the Lower House, led by Kakali Ghosh Dastidar and Shatabdi Roy, also joined National Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and declared to extend their support to BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. 

The party is also facing another rebellion in its Assembly team led by the expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, who received the support of over 65 of the party’s 80 MLAs. They have also announced a separate national working committee of the All India Trinamool Congress with Arup Roy as the chairman instead of Mamata Banerjee. 

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress chairperson and former West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Banerjee on Wednesday came to the defense of her nephew and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee by saying that he is fighting like a tiger despite facing a barrage of cases.

The remark by the Trinamool Congress chairperson is considered her strongest public endorsement of her nephew Abhishek Banerjee since the rebellion in Trinamool Congress, which has led majority of MPs and MLAs desert Mamata Banerjee. Her remarks came at a time when Abhishek Banerjee is blamed for the party’s loss in the recently concluded Assembly polls in West Bengal. 

Challenging the ruling party, the former Chief Minister also said that she will not die till she is able to defeat the BJP.