Guwahati, June 10: Outgoing Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev on Wednesday met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi — her first public engagement after resigning from the TMC — in what she described as a meeting with a long-time mentor and which offers the clearest sign yet of her political direction, though she stopped short of formally joining the BJP.
Dev said Sarma had been her guide and that was why her “first stop” after resigning was to meet him, while praising Assam’s development over the past decade as a contrast to the Congress era. She told reporters she had been unhappy with what she observed inside the TMC after recent elections and that remaining with the party would make it impossible to continue a political career focused on Assam.
Explaining her resignation, Dev said she did not like the post-election situation within the TMC and added that “my decision is good for me.” She argued the electorate had sent a decisive message through differing mandates in the Assam and West Bengal assemblies, and said that to serve Assam effectively she could not remain in the TMC.
On the question of joining the BJP, Dev declined to confirm any move, saying such a decision would depend on party leadership, and she refused to comment on West Bengal’s internal politics. Asked about Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, she avoided direct criticism, saying Banerjee has the political experience to “realise and identify on her own.”
Amid the departures, Assam’s lone TMC MLA Sherman Ahmed Ali asserted his loyalty to the party, saying he would remain with Mamata Banerjee and calling her “my high command.” Meanwhile, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee held talks in New Delhi with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and, a day earlier, Sonia Gandhi, underscoring ongoing discussions between the two parties.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam/assam-cm-sarma-has-always-been-my-guide-sushmita-dev-after-trinamool-exit-1612583
Category: Assam,Featured
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Publish Date: 2026-06-10 18:37:00
