Kolkata | West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose resigned from his post on Thursday evening, triggering a fresh political storm in the state just days before the schedule for the crucial assembly elections is expected to be announced.
The sudden development, which came while Bose was in New Delhi, added a new layer of political intrigue to the already charged pre-election atmosphere in Bengal.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reacted sharply to the development, saying she was "shocked and deeply concerned" by the sudden exit and hinting at possible political pressure from Union Home Minister Amit Shah behind the move.
She said she has learnt from Shah that RN Ravi, Tamil Nadu Governor and ex-deputy NSA, will hold additional charge of West Bengal following Bose's exit.
Talking to PTI over the phone from Delhi, Bose said, "Yes, I have resigned. I have been the Governor of Bengal for three-and-a-half years; it's enough for me."
However, he did not disclose the reasons behind the abrupt decision, fuelling speculation in political circles given that his tenure was due to run till November 2027.
Officials at Lok Bhavan confirmed that the resignation letter had been sent to Rashtrapati Bhavan from Delhi.
Bose, who took charge as West Bengal Governor on November 17, 2022, stepped down nearly 20 months before the end of his tenure, making him the second consecutive Bengal governor to demit office before completing the full term.
In a post on X, Banerjee said she was "shocked and deeply concerned" by the sudden development and claimed that she was not certain of the reasons behind it.
"However, given the prevailing circumstances, I would not be surprised if the Governor has been subjected to some pressure from the Union Home Minister to serve certain political interests on the eve of the forthcoming state assembly elections," Banerjee said.
"I have learnt from Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) that RN Ravi will replace CV Ananda Bose as Bengal governor," she said.
The chief minister alleged that although Shah informed her about the change, she was not consulted before the decision was taken “as per the established convention in this regard”.
The TMC supremo maintained that such actions undermine constitutional norms and weaken India's federal framework.
"The Centre must respect the principles of cooperative federalism and refrain from taking unilateral decisions that erode democratic conventions and the dignity of states," she added.
West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya dubbed Banerjee's remarks about the attack on federal spirit as "baseless."
"Changes in Raj Bhawan are a routine affair. I have heard that he has resigned on health grounds. I have nothing to say about it. The TMC is just trying to politicise the issue," he said.
The development comes at a politically sensitive moment, with the Election Commission expected to announce the schedule for the West Bengal Assembly elections soon, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
Bose's tenure had begun with cautious optimism but gradually turned turbulent as relations between Raj Bhavan (now Lok Bhavan) and the Mamata Banerjee government grew increasingly strained.
During his time in office, Bose frequently criticised policies of the state government and often found himself at the centre of confrontations with the ruling TMC.
The friction occasionally spilled into the public domain, adding to the long-running tensions between the governor's office and Nabanna.
Bose had also made headlines for attempting to embed himself politically and culturally in the state. He had taken "haatekhori", the traditional Bengali initiation into learning the alphabet, and even expressed a desire to become Bengal's "adopted son".
In a move that had drawn attention in administrative and political circles, he had also sought to shift his voting rights from Kerala to West Bengal.
Despite these steps, his sudden resignation from Delhi on Thursday evening took both political observers and the state administration by surprise.
Officials at Lok Bhavan said Bose had travelled to Delhi earlier in the day and sent his resignation letter to Rashtrapati Bhavan from there.
The development also revived memories of the unusual exit of his predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who did not complete his tenure as the governor, as he was elected Vice President in 2022, before abruptly resigning from that post last year.
With Bose suddenly putting in his papers ahead of the assembly polls likely to be held in April, the equation between the Lok Bhavan and the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’ once again risks becoming a political talking point in Bengal's intensely polarised electoral landscape.
