Kolkata, 15 May 15 (H.S.) : West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday resigned as the MLA from the Nandigram Assembly constituency, retaining the Bhabanipur seat. He submitted his resignation letter to newly elected Assembly Speaker Rathindranath Bose.

According to Election Commission rules, a candidate elected from two Assembly constituencies must vacate one of the seats within 14 days of the declaration of results. In compliance with the rule, Adhikari decided to give up the Nandigram seat.

Earlier on Wednesday, Adhikari had taken oath as an MLA from the Bhabanipur constituency during the Assembly session. After the swearing-in ceremony, he had stated that he could not continue as an MLA from two constituencies and would have to relinquish one seat as per legal provisions. However, he assured the people of Nandigram that they would not feel deprived despite his resignation from the constituency.

Adhikari had contested and won from two Assembly seats in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections. Similarly, Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir also resigned from the Rejinagar Assembly seat on Friday while retaining the Naoda constituency in Murshidabad district. Kabir announced that his son, Golam Nabi Azad, would be fielded as the party’s candidate in the upcoming by-election from Rejinagar. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party has not yet made any announcement regarding its candidate for the Nandigram bypoll.

Following his oath-taking ceremony, Chief Minister Adhikari held a roadshow in Bhabanipur to thank the electorate for their support. The procession, which began from Chetla Lockgate and continued up to Camac Street, witnessed large crowds lining both sides of the road. People also gathered on rooftops and balconies to greet the Chief Minister. During the roadshow, flower petals were showered on Adhikari, who responded by tossing rose petals back at the crowd from his vehicle.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh