Rathindra Bose setto be speaker of 18th Bengal assembly

Kolkata: CM Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday announced Rathindra Bose — a first-time MLA and Sangh Parivar loyalist — as the BJP's nominee for speaker of the 18th Bengal Legislative Assembly. The CM appealed to all parties to support Bose's candidacy.Bose, who won from Cooch Behar South, is a chartered accountant by profession and has risen through the ranks of the Sangh Parivar over several decades. He has been a pivotal figure in managing the party's interests in North Bengal, a region that remains a BJP stronghold. His loyalty was famously tested during the Rajya Sabha elections for Ananta Maharaj, where Bose acted as a "dummy" candidate at the leadership's behest.The proposal for his candidacy also received vocal support from senior BJP leaders including Dilip Ghosh, Shankar Ghosh and Agnimitra Paul. "Rathin is a long-time party member who possesses both political experience and higher education," the CM posted on X.Standing beside Bose after filing the nomination, Adhikari took a dig at the previous regime's management of the House: "In the days ahead, the assembly will get a good Speaker — one who will not keep the Leader of the Opposition out of the House for 11.5 months." In the last assembly, Adhikari, then the Leader of the Opposition, was suspended five times for a cumulative 11.5 months.Unless an opposition party fields a candidate for the post, Bose will be unanimously elected. The formal election for the Speaker's post is scheduled for Friday.