KOLKATA: West Bengal agriculture minister Shovandeb Chattopadhyay, who was elected from Bhowanipur Assembly constituency in the recently-held elections, has resigned to pave the way for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to contest from the seat.
Mamata, who was defeated by BJP candidate and her once-trusted lieutenant Suvendhu Adhikari in Nandigram, must get elected within six months to continue her membership in the West Bengal Assembly.
“My party did not ask me to resign. I was under no pressure. I took the decision as a sincere member of the Trinamool Congress so that Mamata Banerjee can contest from Bhowanipore again.
He role in state and national politics is more important now,’’ said Chattopadhyay after tendering his resignation. Chattopadhyay tendered his resignation to Assembly speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay in the presence of senior party leader and his ministerial colleague Partha Chatterjee.
There is speculation that Chattopadhyay may contest from Khardah Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas, which was won by the Trinamool Congress candidate Kajal Sinha, who later died of Covid-19. Another possibility is that Chattopadhyay might be nominated to Rajya Sabha.