Kolkata, March 5 – In a remarkable development ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose tendered his resignation from his post on Thursday.
Ananda Bose is currently in New Delhi, and he submitted his resignation to the office of President Droupadi Murmu there.
Although no official confirmation had come from the Governor's office at the time the report was filed, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued a statement confirming the Governor's resignation.
In her statement, the Chief Minister claimed that she had been informed of Bose's resignation by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had also informed her that the current Tamil Nadu Governor, R.N. Ravi, would be the new Governor of West Bengal.
However, it is not clear whether Ravi would serve as the acting or full-time Governor.
"I am shocked and deeply concerned by the sudden news of the resignation of Shri C. V. Ananda Bose, the Governor of West Bengal. The reasons behind his resignation are not known to me at this moment. 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," Chief Minister Banerjee said in a statement shared on her X handle.
In her statement, the Chief Minister also claimed that the Union Home Minister never discussed the replacement of Ananda Bose with Ravi with her.
"Union Home Minister just informed me that Shri R.N. Ravi is being appointed as Governor of West Bengal. He never consulted with me as per the established convention in this regard," the Chief Minister said, stressing that such actions undermined the spirit of the Constitution of India and struck at the very foundation of the country’s federal structure.
"The Centre must respect the principles of cooperative federalism and refrain from taking unilateral decisions that erode democratic conventions and the dignity of states," Banerjee added.
Bose took office as the Governor of West Bengal on November 17, 2022. His term was until November 2027. However, he left office 20 months before the end of his tenure.
As Governor, Bose was vocal on several issues of the state from the very beginning. He has publicly criticised many policies of the West Bengal government.