West Bengal Governor dissolves Assembly after Mamata Banerjee refuses to resign

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee’s unprecedented standoff with the Centre came to an abrupt end on Thursday after Governor RN Ravi dissolved the West Bengal Assembly following her refusal to resign despite the All India Trinamool Congress’s crushing defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections.

The dramatic constitutional development came a day after Banerjee hardened her stance against the election verdict and described her refusal to step down as a “symbolic protest” against what the All India Trinamool Congress alleged was large-scale manipulation during counting.

With the term of the outgoing Assembly ending on May 7, constitutional experts had pointed out that Banerjee would automatically cease to hold office after the expiry of the House even without formally resigning. The Governor’s dissolution order formally brought the 15th West Bengal Assembly to an end and cleared the path for the BJP to form its first government in the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a landslide victory in the April Assembly elections, winning 207 seats in the 294-member House and ending the TMC’s uninterrupted 15-year rule in Bengal. The TMC was reduced to 80 seats, its worst performance since coming to power in 2011.

At a closed-door meeting with newly elected TMC MLAs and senior leaders at her Kalighat residence on Wednesday, Banerjee reportedly alleged that the BJP had “looted” the election and said the party would move the Supreme Court challenging the results in nearly 100 constituencies.

“Let them impose President’s Rule if they want. Let them dismiss me if they want. Let it remain on record as a black day,” Banerjee was quoted as telling party legislators.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh defended Banerjee’s refusal to resign, calling it a democratic “language of protest”.

“Mamata didi not tendering her resignation is symbolic. This is a protest against the way the Election Commission allegedly manipulated the results,” he had said.

The Election Commission of India rejected the allegations and maintained that the counting process was conducted under established procedures and strict monitoring.

The BJP, meanwhile, accused the TMC of refusing to accept the people’s mandate. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said the swearing-in ceremony for the party’s first government in Bengal would be held at Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata on May 9.

The political atmosphere in Bengal has meanwhile become increasingly volatile following the murder of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s aide Chandranath Rath, which has further deepened post-poll tensions in the state.

Investigators suspect the involvement of professional shooters in the killing after recovering vehicles with fake number plates and erased chassis numbers. Police said Rath, a former Indian Air Force personnel, was intercepted near Madhyamgram on Wednesday night and shot multiple times at close range.

Adhikari alleged Rath was targeted because of his association with him and his electoral victory over Banerjee in Bhabanipur.

“His only fault was that he was my personal assistant,” Adhikari said after Rath’s post-mortem examination.

The BJP accused the TMC of fostering a culture of political violence, while the TMC denied any role in the murder and demanded an impartial investigation.

As Bengal braces for a transfer of power after 15 years of TMC rule, the dissolution of the Assembly and the escalating political violence have intensified fears of a prolonged and turbulent post-poll confrontation in the state.