Rathendra Bose, a BJP MLA from Cooch Behar, was elected unopposed as Speaker of the 18th Assembly of West Bengal on Friday. His name was proposed in the House by Prime Minister Suvendu Adhikari, after which interim President Tapas Roy held a voice vote.
Roy announced Bose’s election as Speaker after all 207 BJP legislators extended their support in his favour.
Who is Rathendra Bose?
Boss made history by becoming the first legislator from the northern part of the state to hold the position. No MLA from North Bengal in the post-independence history has held the Speaker’s chair.
Bose won the election from Cooch Behar constituency by a margin of 23,284 votes (11.4 percentage points), defeating Avjijit De Bhowmik of the All India Trinamool Congress.
Bose, a chartered accountant by profession, brings management understanding and organizational experience to the role, Bengal CM Suvendu said while congratulating him on the appointment.
Why was Bose nominated by Suvendu?
Bose’s election as president became certain the moment the BJP announced his name, as the opposition TMC chose not to field a candidate. The party’s decision to remain out of the competition paved the way for it to be elected unopposed.
Bose is seen not just as an administrative appointment, but as a major political signal. Over the past decade, North Bengal has emerged as one of the BJP’s strongest strongholds. Political analysts believe that with this appointment, the BJP government has sent a strategic message reaffirming its commitment to the voters and leadership in the region.
Bose’s election is also seen as a departure from a long-standing political convention in the state, where parties traditionally favor lawyers or lawmakers with legal backgrounds for the position of Speaker of the House.
During the previous TMC regime, veteran legislator Biman Banerjee served as the council’s president.
