'Sobhandeb LoP, Firhad Chief Whip': TMC submits letter to speaker again

The All India Trinamool Congress has formally written to the Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly recommending the appointment of Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition. In a letter dated June 1, 2026, signed by the party’s National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the party also proposed Ashima Patra and Nayana Bandopadhyay as Deputy Leaders of Opposition and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip. The communication requested the Speaker to recognise the recommended names and complete the appointment process at the earliest.

The letter stated that similar procedures had been followed by the Assembly in previous years and cited earlier instances in 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021 when recommendations made by political parties for the post of Leader of Opposition were accepted by the Speaker. It also referred to the recommendation of Suvendu Adhikari as Leader of Opposition in 2021, stating that the appointment was accepted under the existing legislative practice and procedure.

The communication further noted that after the election of the Speaker on May 15, 2026, Chief Minister and Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, identified by the party as Leader of Opposition, escorted the Speaker to the Chair in accordance with Assembly practice. The letter also stated that during the Welcome Speech, the Speaker recognised Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay to address the House as the Leader of Opposition of the party and requested that the established precedent be maintained while considering the appointments recommended by the Trinamool Congress.