In a significant political development in West Bengal, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has officially resigned from his position as the MLA of Nandigram. Following the BJP’s landmark victory in the state assembly elections, which ended the 15-year rule of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, Adhikari emerged victorious from two constituencies: Nandigram and Bhawanipur. Under the Representation of the People Act, a candidate winning two seats must vacate one within two weeks, and Adhikari chose to represent Bhawanipur, where he defeated former CM Mamata Banerjee by a margin of 15,105 votes.
On Friday, Suvendu Adhikari met with Speaker Rathindra Bose to formally submit his resignation letter for the Nandigram seat. Addressing the media afterward, he clarified that while he is stepping down as their MLA to fulfill his duties as the state’s Chief Minister and Bhawanipur representative, his commitment to the development of Nandigram remains unchanged. He urged the people of the constituency not to feel distanced, noting his long-standing association with the region since the days of Firoza Bibi.
The resignation paves the way for a by-election in Nandigram within the next six months. Reports suggest that the BJP might field Sanjeev Sanyal for the vacant seat, with rumors circulating that he may also be appointed as the state’s Finance Minister. The recent elections saw a dramatic shift in Bengal’s political landscape, with the BJP securing 207 out of 293 contested seats to form its first-ever government in the state, while the TMC was relegated to just 80 seats.
