Governor RN Ravi has dissolved the West Bengal State Legislative Assembly with effect from May 7 after the end of his tenure, according to an official notification.
The current assembly was constituted in May 2021 after Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress returned to power for a third term in West Bengal.
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Dissolution marks the formal end of the term of office of the outgoing council following the recently concluded two-phase elections.
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The Governor dissolved the West Bengal State Legislative Assembly as his term was completed. The dissolution was formalized through an official notification issued by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, which exercises powers conferred by the Constitution of India.
Mamata Banerjee refused to resign as she maintained that she did not lose the election and said that while the Trinamool Congress was officially defeated by the Election Commission, they won morally. She expressed that she would not go to the Raj Bhavan to offer her resignation.
The Bharatiya Janata Party won the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, winning 207 of the 294 seats. The result ended the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress and marked the first BJP government in the state.
Mamata Banerjee’s refusal to resign has been described as a “language of protest” against the alleged manipulation of results by the Election Commission. It is also a symbolic act of defiance when she stated that the center could release her if they wished.
Around 18 sharp weapons were reportedly seized during a police raid at the TMC office in Narayanpur South 24 Parganas area of West Bengal. The TMC has denied the allegations and an investigation is underway.
The notification was issued by the Parliamentary Affairs Department.
A press release from Lok Bhavan, West Bengal reads: “In exercise of the powers conferred on the Governor under sub-section (b) of clause (2) of Article 174 of the Constitution of India, the Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal, Shri RN Ravi, has ordered the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal with effect from May 2026.
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“The regulation came into force in accordance with the constitutional provisions contained in Article 174(2)(b) of the Constitution of India,” he added.
The move follows the declaration of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election results in which the Bharatiya Janata Party won by winning 207 out of 294 seats, ending the 15-year rule of the TMC and Mamata Banerjee.
Mamata Banerjee did not resign
In a rare move, Mamata Banerjee has refused to resign as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, claiming that she did not lose the election. She said she would not go to the Raj Bhavan to tender her resignation.
Outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took aim at the BJP, claiming that it had not lost the assembly polls, saying “they can defeat the Trinamool Congress through the Election Commission” but “morally we won the election”.
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“I will not resign, I have not lost, I will not go to Raj Bhavan… The question does not arise. No. Now I also want to say that we have not lost the election. It is their attempt to defeat us. Officially they can defeat us through the Election Commission, but morally we have won the election,” Mamata Banerjee was quoted as saying by PTI.
In a media interaction a day after the parliamentary election results, Mamata Banerjee also said that she would strengthen the INDIA bloc, noting that she “has no chair now” and is a “common citizen”.
“My aim is very clear. I am not holding any office now, so I am an ordinary citizen. You (BJP) cannot say that I am using any official position. I am now a free bird and will dedicate my whole life to the service of people. Even in these 15 years, I have not taken a single paisa as pension, nor have I received any salary,” Banerjee said after the defeat at a press conference in Benerjegal in an Elections speech in May. 2026.
BJP MP Sambit Patra on Tuesday termed Mamata Banerjee’s refusal to step down as “ridiculous and disturbing” after the TMC was restricted to 80 seats in the assembly elections.
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Patra told ANI, “Mamata Banerjee has given a statement that she has not lost and that is why she will not resign. She will continue to be CM. This is ridiculous and disturbing…”
BJP won a spectacular 207 seats and TMC was reduced to 80 seats in the assemblies. The BJP is reportedly gearing up for the swearing-in ceremony of its first government in West Bengal.
