Trinamool nominates Sobhandeb as Opposition leader, Firhad as Chief Whip

The Trinamool Congress on Saturday (May 9, 2026) nominated senior party leader and Ballygunge MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition in the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Chattopadhyay, 82, had served as the State Minister of Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs earlier.

A press statement signed by Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee said the party will have two deputy leaders of Opposition in the House – Dhanekhali MLA Asima Patra and Chowringhee. MLA Nayna Bandyopadhya.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor and Kolkata Port MLA Firhad Hakim has been nominated as the Trinamool Chief Whip in the Assembly.

Since party chairperson Mamata Banerjee lost the Assembly polls from Bhabanipur, she will not be present in the House. The responsibility of leading 80 MLAs of the Trinamool Congress will fall on Mr. Chattopadhyay. During the day, the party chairperson said: “We will continue to be a strong, vocal and uncompromising opposition both in Delhi and West Bengal.”

A special session of the Assembly is likely to be convened soon where the newly elected MLAs will be administered an oath. The BJP had won 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly.