TMC Names Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Bengal LoP

• TMC appoints Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition
• Veteran leader wins Ballygunge seat by over 61,000 votes
• Chattopadhyay becomes first Bengal MLA to win 10 straight elections
• Senior TMC leader played key role in party’s organisational growth

GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 11th May: The All India Trinamool Congress has appointed veteran leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition in the 18th West Bengal Assembly following the party’s defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections.

The TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, lost power to the BJP after 15 years in government.

Chattopadhyay retained the Ballygunge Assembly constituency by defeating BJP candidate Shatarupa Chattopadhyay by 61,476 votes.

With the victory, he created a record by becoming the only MLA in West Bengal to win 10 consecutive Assembly elections.

Veteran Leader and TMC Founding Pillar
Born in 1944, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay is considered one of the founding pillars of the TMC after the party was formed in 1998.

A long-time confidant of Mamata Banerjee, he initially began his political career in the Congress and won the Baruipur Assembly seat in 1991 and 1996.

After joining the TMC, he continued winning from constituencies including Rashbehari, Bhabanipur, Khardaha and Ballygunge.

He is also remembered as the first MLA elected on a TMC ticket after the party’s formation.

Before entering active politics, Chattopadhyay worked at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and was associated with labour unions and workers’ organisations. He later founded the INTTUC, the labour wing of the TMC, and currently serves as president of the Kolkata Auto Rickshaw Operators’ Union.

In his younger years, he was trained as a boxer.

Political Clashes and Ministerial Roles
Despite being close to Mamata Banerjee, Chattopadhyay often faced internal disagreements within the party and was at times sidelined politically.

After the TMC came to power in 2011, he was appointed Government Chief Whip in the Assembly, a move that reportedly disappointed him as other influential portfolios went to senior leaders like Aroop Biswas.

Over the years, he handled key departments including Power, Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs in the state government.

Chattopadhyay had publicly accused Aroop Biswas and his brother of interfering in his political areas and criticised their functioning style.

One of the defining moments in his political career came in 2021 when he resigned from the Bhabanipur Assembly seat to allow Mamata Banerjee to contest a by-election from there. He later shifted to Khardaha and secured a major victory.

He also drew attention after exposing an alleged fake job scam involving leaders linked to the ruling party.