Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday announced the name of octogenarian MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as its Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. Chattopadhyay, one of the closest associates of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee since the party's formation in 1998, is set to serve his 10th consecutive term, making him the only MLA in the state to achieve this milestone.
Electoral Performance
Chattopadhyay won from the Ballygunge seat, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Shatarupa Chattopadhyay by a margin of 61,476 votes. His long political career and unwavering loyalty to the party leadership have made him a key figure in the TMC.
Appointment of Chief Whip and Deputy Leaders
Firhad Hakim, who also serves as the Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, has been appointed as the Chief Whip of the TMC. Hakim secured victory from the Kolkata Port seat, defeating BJP's Rakesh Singh by a margin of 56,080 votes.
The opposition party also appointed two women members as Deputy Leaders: Asima Patra and Nayna Bandyopadhyay. Patra won from the Dhanekhali constituency in Hooghly district, defeating BJP candidate Barnali Das by a margin of 13,057 votes. Bandyopadhyay, who contested from the Chowringhee seat against BJP's Santosh Kumar Pathak, won by a substantial margin of 62,938 votes.
Party Disciplinary Action
In a separate development, the Trinamool Congress suspended three spokespersons—Riju Dutta, Kohinoor Majumdar, and Kartik Ghosh—for making statements that violated party discipline. The suspension order, signed by Chandrima Bhattacharya, a member of TMC's disciplinary committee, stated: "The party has decided to put you under suspension from the membership, along with all positions, responsibilities and privileges for a period of six years with immediate effect."
This action came a day after the TMC issued show-cause notices to five spokespersons over comments critical of the party leadership and its electoral strategy following the assembly election results. In the recently concluded elections, the BJP won 207 seats, while the TMC was reduced to 80 seats in the 294-member House.
