West Bengal Governor resigned before the elections: Mamata Banerjee expressed surprise at the decision, called it a conspiracy by the Centre.

Kolkata. West Bengal Governor C.V. Anand Bose suddenly resigned from his post on Thursday. This resignation has heated up the market of speculation in political circles amid preparations for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. According to sources, Bose is currently in New Delhi and has submitted his resignation at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The reasons behind his sudden decision are not yet known.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed surprise at Bose’s resignation and said that R. N. Ravi has been appointed as the Governor. “The Union Home Minister has just informed me that R.N. Ravi is being appointed as the Governor of West Bengal,” he wrote on Twitter. Raj Bhavan sources said that Mr Bose has sent his resignation to Rashtrapati Bhavan and it has been formally accepted. However, the Governor himself has not yet made any public comment on his decision to step down.

Bose took charge as the Governor of West Bengal on November 17, 2022. His tenure was scheduled to continue until November 2027, but he stepped down about 20 months before his full term was to end. Since assuming office, Bose had often spoken openly on many issues related to the state. He criticized several policies of the West Bengal government and his tenure saw several clashes between the Raj Bhavan and the state administration. On several occasions these differences escalated into open conflict.

The Chief Minister wrote, “I am shocked and deeply concerned by the news of the sudden resignation of the Governor of West Bengal, Shri C.V. Anand Bose. The reasons behind his resignation are not known to me at this time.” Mamata Banerjee said, “Given the current circumstances, I would not be surprised if the Governor is put under pressure from the Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) to serve some political interests on the eve of the upcoming assembly elections.”

The Chief Minister also wrote, “The Union Home Minister has just informed me that R.N. Ravi is being appointed as the Governor of West Bengal. He never consulted me in this regard as per the established tradition. Such actions undermine the spirit of the Constitution of India and attack the foundation of our federal structure.” Mamata Banerjee said the Center should respect the principles of cooperative federalism and avoid taking unilateral decisions that harm democratic traditions and the dignity of states.