Rathindra Bose was on Friday elected unopposed as the Speaker of the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly, becoming the first legislator from north Bengal to occupy the post in post-Independence history.
Bose’s name was proposed in the House by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, following which pro tem Speaker Tapas Roy conducted a voice vote. He was declared elected after all 207 BJP legislators backed his candidature.
The BJP had on Thursday named Bose, the MLA from Cooch Behar Dakshin, as its candidate for the Speaker’s post, while the opposition All India Trinamool Congress chose not to field a nominee.
With the BJP commanding a dominant strength of 207 MLAs in the 294-member House after its sweeping victory in the recent assembly elections, Bose’s election was widely seen as a foregone conclusion. The TMC’s decision to stay out of the contest ensured his smooth elevation to the Chair.
Bose’s appointment is also being viewed as a significant political message from the BJP government to north Bengal, a region that has emerged as one of the party’s strongest support bases in the state over the past decade.
(With inputs from PTI)