Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay

Kolkata, 21 May: Trinamool Congress MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Friday resigned from his from Bhabanipur Constituency to make a way for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s re-election to the West Bengal Assembly.

Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay submitted his resignation to West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee.

Speaking to the media after resigning, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said that he was not under any pressure. “I am not under any pressure to resign. But I have come to know that Mamata Banerjee wants to contest Bhabanipur. It is her seat, so she should contest from there only,” the TMC MLA said.

The Speaker confirmed the resignation. “I have enquired from him if he has resigned voluntarily and without coercion. I am satisfied, and I have accepted his resignation,” Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee said.

Mamata Banerjee had lost the recently-concluded West Bengal Assembly election from the Nandigram Assembly seat by a narrow margin to her protege-turned-nemesis Suvendhu Adhikari. Even as her party swept the polls by winning 213 out of 292 seats in the assembly, Mamata Banerjee lost by a mere margin of 1956 votes.

Despite the loss, Mamata Banerjee was elected as the leader of the Trinamool Congress legislature party and took the oath as chief minister on May 5.

As per the Constitutional provision in such cases, the TMC chief has six months to get re-elected to the assembly or she risks losing her CM post.


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TMC veteran Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay had contested from Mamata Banerjee’s traditional seat, Bhabanipur, after she decided to fight polls from Nandigram instead. Chattopadhyay had won the seat for the party by securing 57.71 percent votes.

Despite his resignation as MLA, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay will stay on as the agriculture minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet.