KOLKATA CORRESPONDENT — In a major political jolt to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), prominent Tollywood actress and party leader Rukmini Mallick—popularly known as Koel Mallick—resigned from her position as a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) on Thursday.
Her decision to step down comes just three months after being elected to the Upper House of the Indian Parliament.
According to parliamentary sources, Mallick initially submitted her resignation via email. However, adhering to official Rajya Sabha protocols that mandate physical submission, she appeared in person on Thursday to formally hand in her resignation letter.
Sparks Fly Over Potential BJP Move
Mallick did not specify any reason for her sudden departure in her resignation letter, fueling intense political speculation across West Bengal.
Unconfirmed reports suggest she may be preparing to align with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The speculation intensified after she met with Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav at his residence shortly after submitting her resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan.
A Pattern of High-Profile Resignations
Mallick’s exit marks the fourth departure of a TMC Rajya Sabha MP since June, following the party’s disappointing performance in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
Prior to her resignation, senior leaders Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik stepped down from their parliamentary seats.
All three subsequently joined the BJP and have been fielded as candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-elections scheduled for later this month.
Brief Parliamentary Tenure
In February 2026, TMC surprised political observers by nominating four distinct candidates for the Rajya Sabha seats: Koel Mallick, former West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, singer-turned-politician Babul Supriyo, and senior Supreme Court advocate Dr. Menaka Guruswamy. All four candidates were elected unopposed.
Despite her election, Mallick did not attend a single session of the Rajya Sabha. Instead, her tenure was marked by active involvement on the ground, where she spent the majority of her time campaigning for TMC candidates across West Bengal during the election period.