West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal asks West Bengal Governor RN Ravi to hand over the Constitution notification of the new Legislative Assembly at Lok Bhawan, Kolkata on May 6, 2026. | Photo credit: ANI
West Bengal Governor RN Ravi dissolved the state Legislative Assembly with effect from May 7, 2026.
“In exercise of the power vested in me by sub-clause (b) of clause (2) of Article 174 of the Constitution of India, I hereby dissolve the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal with effect from May 7, 2026,” read a notification in the gazette issued by order of the Governor.
The 17th Legislative Assembly of West Bengal, which was sworn in after the 2021 assembly elections, is now dissolved. The development is significant because Mamata Banerjee had declared that she would not resign as Chief Minister of the State.
In the recently concluded Assembly elections, the BJP ended 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule by winning 207 seats in the 294-member house. The Trinamool was reduced to 80 seats.
The swearing-in of the first BJP government in West Bengal will take place at Brigade Parade Grounds on Saturday (May 9, 2026). The newly elected BJP legislators will meet on Friday (May 8, 2026) at 4 pm The BJP has appointed Union Home Minister Amit Shah as the central observer who will chair the meeting. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Mamata Banerjee, is one of the favorites for the Chief Minister’s post.
Shah is likely to reach Kolkata on Thursday (May 7, 2026) evening. It will take stock of the public order situation following the incidents of violence that occurred after the elections. On Wednesday night (May 6, 2026), Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas.
Published – May 8, 2026 04:16 am IST