Kolkata, July 17:
Actor-turned-politician and Trinamool Congress MP Rukmini Mallick, popularly known as Koel Mallick, on Thursday resigned from the Rajya Sabha, the fourth TMC MP to do so ever since the Mamata Banerjee-led party was ousted from power in West Bengal.
Mallick met the Rajya Sabha chairman CP Radhakrishnan and put in her papers.
Her resignation dealt a fresh blow to the embattled TMC’s strength in the Upper House, reducing it to the single-digit figure of nine, amid speculations that more from the party may follow suit and raising fresh questions on the party’s stability in Parliament.
“I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect,” she said in her resignation letter.
“I convey my sincere gratitude to deputy chairman and all functionaries of Rajya Sabha Secretariat extending all help and cooperation during my tenure as member of Rajya Sabha,” she wrote.
Mallick quit within a week following the stepping down of Rajya Sabha MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Deb and Prakash Chik Baraik in the wake of the TMC’s poll debacle in Bengal and the subsequent widespread rebellion in its ranks.
The last three MPs later jumped ship to the BJP and have filed their nominations for re-elections to the seats they left vacant which, so far, remain uncontested. All three are likely to be re-elected as BJP nominees to the Upper House if their candidature remains unchallenged by the Friday, 3 pm deadline.