It has been two days since the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faced electoral defeat in the Bengal Assembly elections. However, the drama that began even before the elections began, continues.
A defiant Mamata has refused to step down as Bengal’s chief minister, a move required before the new government can be sworn in. Security for Mamata and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee was cut on Wednesday.
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It continues to claim that the elections were rigged even as the BJP prepares to form its first-ever government in Bengal, with the swearing-in ceremony likely to take place on May 9 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Hours later, several former bureaucrats and councilors appointed by Mamata tendered their resignations. The list includes former chief secretaries Alapan Bandyopadhyay, HK Dwivedi and Manoj Pant, as well as economist Abhiroop Sarkar.
In a major surprise to the Mamata government, the BJP swept the assembly elections held in April, winning 207 seats out of 294, while the TMC got only 80 seats.
Here’s what was said when resignations poured in after the TMC’s election defeat:
“The appointments were political.”
“Though I am not a political person, the appointments were political appointments. I was appointed by the then Prime Minister Mamata Banerjee. Since she lost, I have no moral right to continue,” said economist Abirup Sarkar, who has held several positions in committees, committees and corporations in the past.
“On Tuesday, I sent my resignation to the state chief secretary,” said Alapan Bandyopadhyay, who was in the news in 2021 for missing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting in the wake of Cyclone Yas. The Center issued an order to summon him, and Mamata intervened and appointed him as chief advisor. He chose to retire on May 31 rather than avail the Mamata government’s extension.
Solicitor General of Bengal Kishore Datta also submitted his resignation to Governor RN Ravi. Datta has been serving as Solicitor General since December 2023 and had earlier held the position from 2017 to 2021. “I have sent my resignation to the governor on Tuesday,” Datta told HT.
TMC refuses to comment on the resignations
The Transitional Military Council refused to comment on the wave of resignations following the party’s massive defeat in the elections. “I have no comments on this,” TMC spokesperson Jai Prakash Majumdar said.
“Not everyone is as rude as her, so they have resigned. Mamata lost the election. The people of West Bengal have abandoned her. She has lost her land. But she has not resigned yet,” said Rahul Sinha, a senior BJP leader in the state.
