Subhechcha Ganguly 
Following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s historic victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Kolkata on Friday to oversee the crucial meeting for the selection of the BJP legislative party leader and the state’s next chief minister. Shah has been appointed as the central observer for the process, while Mohan Charan Majhi will serve as co-observer.
Senior BJP leaders Suvendu Adhikari and Agnimitra Paul have emerged as leading contenders for the chief minister’s post as the party prepares to form its first-ever government in West Bengal.
The political developments come a day after West Bengal Governor R N Ravi dissolved the state legislative assembly following the BJP’s sweeping electoral mandate. The BJP secured 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, while the Trinamool Congress was reduced to 80 seats, marking a landmark breakthrough for the saffron party in the state.
The election outcome also made Prime Minister Narendra Modi the first sitting Indian Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to lead his party to victory in West Bengal.
Meanwhile, tensions escalated in the state after the killing of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to Suvendu Adhikari. Rath was allegedly shot dead by bike-borne assailants in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, late on Wednesday night. He sustained bullet injuries to the head, chest and abdomen and was declared dead at the hospital. His body was later taken to his hometown in Purba Medinipur district.
West Bengal Police have reportedly recovered the motorcycle believed to have been used in the attack and brought it to Madhyamgram police station for investigation.
In another dramatic development, outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to visit Raj Bhavan to tender her resignation, stating that she had “not lost” despite the Election Commission declaring her defeated by Suvendu Adhikari in Bhabanipur by a margin of over 15,000 votes.
