BJP MLA Rathindra Bose elected as new Speaker of 18th West Bengal assembly
Kolkata, May 15
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from the Coochbehar Dakshin constituency Rathindra Bose on Friday was elected as the new Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
Following his election, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari escorted Bose to the Speaker's chair in the House in keeping with Assembly tradition.
He was nominated by the ruling camp for the post of the West Bengal Assembly Speaker, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Thursday.
"Shri Rathindra Bose, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA of the Cooch Behar Dakshin (South) Constituency, has been nominated as our Candidate for the Post of Hon'ble Speaker of the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly. I hope that his Candidature is supported by one and all and he gets elected unanimously," Adhikari posted on X.
Highlighting Bose's background, the Chief Minister said he is a "dedicated party worker" and a Chartered Accountant by profession, adding that he brings both administrative understanding and organisational experience to the role.
"He never applied for any post such as MLA, Minister or Speaker. The party has recognised his dedication. He is a Chartered Accountant and has the necessary capability to handle this responsibility. We seek cooperation from all sides for his leadership," Adhikari said.
He also appealed to the Opposition to uphold parliamentary tradition by ensuring an uncontested Speaker election. "The Speaker's election has traditionally been unanimous in West Bengal. I hope the Opposition will continue this tradition," he added.
Bose had won the election from the Coochbehar constituency by a margin of 23,284 (11.4 per cent) voters. He defeated Avijit De Bhowmik of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
He will replace BJP MLA Tapas Roy, who was sworn in as the Pro-tem Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
The 2026 Assembly election results marked a decisive mandate for the BJP, registering a significant surge, winning 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly, a major shift in a state where it had earlier secured 77 seats in the previous election. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which had won 212 seats in the last Assembly polls, finished a distant second with 80 seats. This ended TMC's 15-year rule in the State. Congress was restricted to just two seats.
Following the victory, Suvendu Adhikari took the oath as the ninth chief minister of West Bengal.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Big change for Bengal! 207 seats for BJP—didn't see that coming so strongly. Let's see how Bose handles the Speaker role. TMC will be watching every move. 😬
I appreciate that the Chief Minister appealed for a unanimous election—that's how it should be. But I hope Bose doesn't use his CA background to push through budgets without proper scrutiny. Opposition needs a fair voice too.
From Coochbehar to Speaker—quite a journey! He defeated a TMC heavyweight. Hope he remembers the grassroots issues. P.S. - The tradition of unanimous Speaker election is nice, but is it still relevant when the ruling party has a huge majority?
As an observer of Indian politics, it's fascinating to see Bengal flip so dramatically. Bose's election seems procedural but crucial. The real test will be how he manages the house with such a lop-sided majority. Will he allow meaningful opposition debate?
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