Still ‘Chief Minister’: Mamata Banerjee keeps title on social media after Assembly dissolution
The Statesman | 9 May 2026
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has continued to identify herself as the “Chief Minister of West Bengal” on her official social media accounts despite Governor RN Ravi announcing the dissolution of the state Assembly on Thursday, a move that automatically brought the Trinamool Congress government to an end.
The development comes days after the BJP registered a sweeping victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, ending the Trinamool Congress’ 15-year rule in the state. Mamata Banerjee had earlier indicated that she was unwilling to accept the verdict as a reflection of the “actual public mandate” and had also refused to follow the convention of formally resigning after the defeat.
A check of Banerjee’s official accounts on X and Facebook on Thursday evening showed that both profiles still described her as: “Founder Chairperson All India Trinamool Congress. Honourable Chief Minister, West Bengal.”
Her social media status is in line with remarks she made during a press conference on May 5, a day after the election results were declared. At the time, Banerjee had said she would not submit her resignation to the Governor, maintaining that the electoral outcome did not truly reflect the people’s mandate.
The Trinamool Congress chief also suffered a personal setback in Bhabanipur, where she lost to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari by more than 15,000 votes. Adhikari had been serving as the Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly.
The current political situation has also revived memories of the final hours of the Left Front government in 2011, when the then Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee resigned after it became clear that the CPI(M)-led alliance had lost power after 34 years.
Though the final results had not officially been declared at the time, Bhattacharjee had gone to Raj Bhavan in the early hours of May 13, 2011, to submit his resignation to the then Governor MK Narayanan.
According to political observers, the symbolic gestures that followed became part of Bengal’s political memory. After resigning, Bhattacharjee reportedly chose not to return in the state-issued bulletproof vehicle meant for the Chief Minister and instead left in a party vehicle arranged by the CPI(M). Before leaving, he also thanked the security personnel assigned to him and asked them not to continue with his security duty.
Union Minister of State and former BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar on Thursday compared Banerjee’s current stand with Bhattacharjee’s conduct in 2011.
“There cannot be any comparison between Late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Mamata Banerjee. Despite differences in political ideology, I have no hesitation in accepting and admitting the fact that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was a man of impeccable honesty and integrity. He was never a power-hungry person, which he proved till the end of his life,” Majumdar said.
The Governor’s notification dissolving the Assembly formally ended the tenure of the Mamata Banerjee-led Cabinet.