A day after the BJP stormed to power in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress moved swiftly to reorganise its legislative leadership, appointing senior leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. The party also handed crucial parliamentary responsibilities to Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim and MLAs Asima Patra and Nayana Bandyopadhyay as it prepares for an aggressive Opposition role against the new Suvendu Adhikari-led government.
The announcement came late Saturday night, just hours after Suvendu Adhikari took oath as West Bengal’s first BJP Chief Minister at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata. With the Trinamool Congress reduced to 80 seats in the 293-seat contest (excluding Falta constituency), the party leadership acted quickly to put its Assembly strategy in place following its biggest electoral setback in years.
Veteran Trinamool leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay has been chosen as the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly. A seasoned parliamentarian and trusted Mamata Banerjee loyalist, Sovandeb has played a key organisational and administrative role in the party over the years.
TMC Picks Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly, Firhad Named Chief Whip
In the 2021 Assembly elections, he had won from Bhabanipur before vacating the seat for Mamata Banerjee. He later contested and won the Khardah bypoll and also served as Agriculture Minister in the previous Trinamool government. In the 2026 election, Sovandeb retained his political relevance by winning from the Ballygunge Assembly constituency.
The Trinamool Congress also appointed two women MLAs — Asima Patra and Nayana Bandyopadhyay — as deputy leaders of the party in the Assembly. Asima secured victory again from the Dhanekhali constituency, while Nayana emerged victorious from Chowringhee.
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has been named the Chief Whip of the Trinamool’s legislative party. Firhad, one of the few senior leaders to successfully retain his seat amid the party’s poor performance, won from the Kolkata Port Assembly constituency.
Several heavyweight Trinamool ministers and senior leaders suffered defeats in the election, making the victories of Sovandeb and Firhad particularly significant for the party’s future legislative strategy.
The BJP registered a landslide victory in the 2026 Assembly elections, winning 207 seats and ending the Trinamool Congress’s long rule in Bengal. According to Election Commission data, the BJP secured 45.84% vote share, while the Trinamool Congress received 40.80%.
Among other parties, Congress won two seats with a 2.97% vote share, CPM secured one seat with 4.45% votes, ISF won one seat, and the Ajanta Unnayan Party (AJUP) bagged two seats. NOTA accounted for 0.79% of the votes.
With the new Assembly set for a high-voltage political confrontation, the Trinamool Congress appears determined to use its experienced faces to challenge the BJP government from the Opposition benches.
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