Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma warns Mamata Banerjee of constitutional dismissal after she refuses to resign following BJP's victory in the West Bengal Assembly Elections.
KOLKATA : The political climate in West Bengal has reached a boiling point following the recent assembly election results. Despite a decisive mandate favoring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which secured 206 seats to claim governance, outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refused to concede. Citing allegations of widespread electoral malpractice and "rigged" voting, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo has declared she will not resign from her post.
The defiance has drawn a sharp rebuke from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who asserted on Tuesday that the constitutional process would prevail regardless of personal dissent.
"Dismissal is the Only Path," Says Sarma
In a scathing interview with a national news outlet, Sarma criticized Banerjee’s refusal to step down, describing it as an affront to democratic norms.
"The country does not run on her whims," Sarma remarked. "If Mamata Banerjee refuses to resign, she will be dismissed. The Governor will wait for the stipulated timeframe, and if the resignation is not forthcoming, dismissal is the only logical conclusion. It is that simple. The people of Bengal have endured her administration for long enough."
Sarma further linked the election outcome to long-standing grievances over governance and national security, stating:
"They [TMC] refused to allow the sealing of international borders, and now they claim their seats were stolen. This mandate was long overdue. The people of West Bengal have given them much over the years, but today, they have chosen the BJP. To say 'I will not resign' suggests she believes society depends on her personal permission to function."
Constitutional Crisis Looms
The electoral data released on May 4 paints a clear picture of the BJP's victory, with the party crossing the majority mark by securing 207 seats (consolidated count), while the TMC was relegated to a distant 80 seats.
Despite the mathematical reality, Banerjee remains steadfast in her allegations of EVM tampering and booth capturing. During a press conference on Tuesday, she questioned the legitimacy of the results, asking, "We haven't truly lost, so why should I resign?"
The Road Ahead: Governor’s Intervention
With the current Assembly’s term set to expire on May 7, the clock is ticking. Under constitutional law, Banerjee cannot legally hold the office of Chief Minister beyond this deadline without a new mandate.
Legal and political experts suggest that if the deadlock continues, the Governor of West Bengal holds the discretionary power to:
1. Issue a formal directive for the Chief Minister to submit her resignation.
2. Exercise Article 164 of the Constitution to dismiss the incumbent Chief Minister.
3. Invite the single largest party (BJP) to form the government, effectively superseding the holdout administration.
As the state approaches the May 7 deadline, the confrontation between the TMC’s allegations and the BJP’s mandate threatens to plunge West Bengal into a constitutional crisis unless a formal transition of power occurs.
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