In a significant development, the TMC on Saturday appointed Ballygunge MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of opposition in the West Bengal assembly. The TMC in a statement announced that Dhanekhali MLA Asima Patra and Chowrangee legislator Nayna Bandyopadhyay would serve as deputy leaders of the opposition. Kolkata Port MLA Firhad Hakim was appointed chief whip in the assembly. Hakim is also the mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The party said the newly appointed leaders would work "with commitment for the interest of the people of Bengal".
Who is Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay?
Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, 82, won the Ballygunge seat, becoming the only Bengal MLA to serve his 10th consecutive term. This Trinamool MLA is one of Mamata Banerjee’s closest associates since the party was founded on Jan 1, 1998. He was the only MLA in the state assembly representing the party at that time, having won a byelection in 1998 shortly after the party’s formation.
In comparison to his 2021 result from the Khardah seat, where he won by 93,832 votes, his margin decreased slightly this time. Still, it was the highest victory margin from an assembly seat in Kolkata, as he defeated BJP candidate Shatarupa Chattopadhyay by 61,476 votes.
BJP swept the assembly elections, winning 207 seats in the 294-member House and forming the government in the state for the first time. The TMC won 80 seats in the elections. Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as chief minister earlier in the day.
Suvendu Adhikari takes oath as West Bengal CM
Earlier in the day, Suvendu Adhikari, who took oath as West Bengal CM, said he would work for restoring the "lost glory" of West Bengal, alleging that the state had declined during the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the residence of Syama Prasad Mookerjee in Bhabanipur, Adhikari said south Kolkata had been a cultural stronghold associated with icons such as Satyajit Ray and Uttam Kumar.
"Give me some time. We have definite plans to develop places associated with many luminaries who are part of Bengal's heritage and pride," he said. "We need to bring back the lost glory of Bengal, which hit rock bottom under the TMC government. From culture to law and order, particularly women's safety and economic decline, Bengal lost its preeminence over the last 15 years. We have to set the record straight and bring the state back on the path of glory," he added.
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