West Bengal Governor dissolves State Legislative Assembly

West Bengal Governor RN Ravi has dissolved the State’s Legislative Assembly with effect from May 7, 2026.

“In exercise of the power vested in me by clause (b) of paragraph (2) of Article 174 of the Constitution of India, I hereby dissolve the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal with effect from 7th May 2026,” a gazette notification issued on the governor’s order said.

The 17th West Bengal Legislative Assembly, which was sworn in after the 2021 assembly elections, is now dissolved. This development is important because Mamata Banerjee had announced that she would not resign as the Chief Minister.

In the recently concluded Assembly polls, the BJP won 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, ending 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule. Trinamool was reduced to 80 seats.

The swearing-in ceremony of the first BJP government in West Bengal will be held at the Brigade Parade on Saturday, May 9, 2026. Newly elected BJP MPs will meet on Friday, May 8, 2026 at 16:00. The BJP appointed Union Home Minister Amit Shah as the central observer to chair the meeting. Having defeated Mamata Banerjee, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is the front-runner for the Chief Minister’s post.

Mr. Shah is likely to arrive in Kolkata on Thursday night, May 7, 2026. He will assess the law and order situation following the post-election violence. On Wednesday night, May 6, 2026, Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant, Chandranath Rath, was shot dead in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas.