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Who is Rathindra Bose? BJP MLA from Cooch Behar who created history by becoming speaker in West Bengal assembly
No MLA from north Bengal in post-Independence history has held the Speaker's chair in the West Bengal assembly.
Rathindra Bose, BJP MLA from Cooch Behar, was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the 18th West Bengal Assembly on Friday. His name was proposed in the House by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, following which pro tem Speaker Tapas Roy conducted a voice vote.
Roy declared Bose elected as the Speaker of the assembly after all 207 BJP legislators extended their support in his favour.
Who is Rathindra Bose?
Bose created history by becoming the first legislator from the northern part of the state to hold the post. No MLA from north Bengal in post-Independence history has held the Speaker's chair in the assembly.
Bose won the election from the Cooch Behar constituency by a margin of 23,284 votes (11.4 percentage points), defeating Avijit De Bhowmik of the All India Trinamool Congress.
A chartered accountant by profession, Bose brings both administrative understanding and organisational experience to the role, said Bengal CM Suvendu while congratulating him on the appointment.
Why Bose was nominated by Suvendu?
Bose’s election as Speaker became a certainty the moment the BJP announced his name, as the opposition TMC chose not to field a candidate. The party’s decision to stay out of the contest paved the way for his unopposed election.
Bose is being seen not merely as an administrative appointment, but as a major political signal. Over the past decade, North Bengal has emerged as one of the BJP’s strongest strongholds. Political analysts believe that through this appointment, the BJP government has sent a strategic message reaffirming its commitment to the region’s voters and leadership.
Bose’s election is also being viewed as a break from a long-standing political convention in the state, where parties traditionally preferred lawyers or legislators with legal backgrounds for the Speaker’s post.
During the previous TMC regime, veteran legislator Biman Banerjee held the position of Speaker.
