The office of West Bengal Governor R. B. Ravi on Thursday, 7 May announced the dissolution of the state Legislative Assembly, days after the West Bengal Assembly election results declared on 4 May handed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a thumping two-thirds majority. The order, issued from Lok Bhaban (formerly Raj Bhavan) on Thursday evening, invoked Article 174(2)(b) of the Constitution of India.

The Constitutional Order

The statement from Lok Bhaban stated that the dissolution was carried out "as per the power conferred upon the Governor of a state under sub-clause (b) of Clause (2) of Article 174 of the Constitution of India." It further noted that "the order has come into force in accordance with the constitutional provisions contained under Article 174(2) of the Constitution of India."

Legal experts explained that the dissolution of the Assembly automatically triggers the dissolution of the previous state Cabinet, effectively conferring upon Mamata Banerjee the formal status of a former Chief Minister — regardless of whether she submits her resignation.

Mamata Banerjee's Refusal to Resign

The dissolution order came directly in response to an unprecedented political standoff. Outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, whose All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered a decisive defeat — with Banerjee herself losing her own seat — had publicly refused to formally submit her resignation to the Governor. She argued that the election results were not the "true reflection of public mandate."

Political observers noted that this refusal was without modern precedent in Indian parliamentary democracy, as no Chief Minister whose party had lost a majority had previously declined to follow the constitutional convention of tendering resignation.

The Interim Governance Question

With the dissolution announced Thursday evening and the oath ceremony of the new Cabinet scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, a critical constitutional question has emerged: who governs West Bengal during this interim period?

Legal experts have offered two possible scenarios. The Governor could directly assume administrative charge of the state, or alternatively, recommend imposition of President's Rule for the brief interim window. Political observers noted that the situation is so unusual that no clear legal consensus exists, since the scenario of a defeated Chief Minister refusing to resign had not been anticipated in conventional constitutional practice.

What Happens Next

The oath ceremony of the new BJP-led Cabinet is scheduled for Saturday morning and will be conducted in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, among other senior leaders. The swearing-in will formally install the new government and end the constitutional ambiguity created by Banerjee's refusal to resign.

The episode marks one of the most unusual transitions of power in West Bengal's post-Independence political history, raising fresh questions about the boundaries of constitutional conventions when they are tested by political defiance.