Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered another setback on Thursday after Rajya Sabha MP and actor Koel Mallick resigned from the Upper House, reducing the party's strength in the Rajya Sabha to just nine members.

Mallick's resignation comes days after the exits of Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik, signalling a growing churn within the party following its poor performance in the West Bengal Assembly elections.

With Mallick stepping down, the TMC's Rajya Sabha tally has reportedly fallen from 13 to 9. Sources indicate that more resignations could follow in the coming days, raising fresh questions over the party's position in Parliament.

The developments come amid an intensifying rebellion within the Trinamool Congress.

A dissident camp led by Ritabrata Banerjee is understood to have distanced itself from the leadership of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee.

The faction reportedly claims the backing of 64 MLAs in the state Assembly. Similar signs of unrest have emerged in the Lok Sabha as well, where a section of TMC MPs is said to be exploring a realignment with the NDA.

Unlike the Assembly or Lok Sabha, however, engineering a formal split in the Rajya Sabha is considerably more difficult because of the numbers required under anti-defection rules.

As a result, rebel MPs are reportedly opting to resign individually rather than break away as a group.

Mallick was among the candidates nominated by the TMC for the Rajya Sabha earlier this year.

Her name featured alongside Rajeev Kumar, Babul Supriyo and Menaka Guruswamy when the party announced its list of nominees in February.

The actor took oath as a Rajya Sabha member in April and had described the role as a ‘great responsibility’, saying that serving the country and its people was one of the highest forms of public service.

Her resignation now marks the latest chapter in the unfolding turmoil within the Trinamool Congress, with political observers closely watching whether more MPs choose to follow suit in the days ahead.