West Bengal Governor dissolves state Legislative Assembly

• Governor R.N. Ravi dissolved the West Bengal state Legislative Assembly with effect from May 7 after completion of its term.

• The current Assembly was constituted in May 2021 after the Trinamool Congress (TMC), under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, returned to power for the third consecutive term in the state.

• According to a government release issued from Lok Bhavan, Kolkata, the Governor exercised powers under sub-clause (b) of Article 174(2) of the Constitution of India.

• Article 174 of the Constitution empowers the Governor to summon the Assembly under specific provisions. It governs the sessions, prorogation, and dissolution of state legislatures. 

• With the dissolution of the Assembly, the state cabinet also ceased to exist, effectively bringing Mamata Banerjee’s tenure as Chief Minister to an end.

• The BJP won 207 seats to secure more than a two-thirds majority in the 294-member West Bengal assembly, ending the TMC’s 15-year rule in the state.

• Banerjee had said that she would not follow the convention of going to the Governor to hand over her resignation.

• She alleged that her party was defeated by “unfair means” during the poll process.