Mamata Banerjee’s Chief Advisors Resign Following BJP’s Assembly Victory

A significant administrative shake-up has unfolded in West Bengal following a change in political leadership , with two senior retired bureaucrats stepping down from key advisory roles linked to the outgoing government.

Former Chief Secretaries Alapan Bandyopadhyay and H K Dwivedi have resigned as chief advisors to outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee , according to official sources on Wednesday. Both officials submitted their resignations on Tuesday, marking a swift administrative transition after the recent electoral verdict .

In another development, noted economist Abhirup Sarkar has also stepped down from his roles as chairman of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) and the West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation (WBSIDC) . Officials confirmed that necessary administrative procedures have been initiated to formalise these exits.

Alapan Bandyopadhyay, who was earlier at the centre of a high-profile Centre–State standoff in 2021 over a transfer order, was later appointed as chief advisor after retirement from the IAS. His resignation now marks the end of a closely watched administrative tenure in the state.

The developments come in the backdrop of a major political shift, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly, ending the Trinamool Congress government’s 15-year rule in West Bengal.

Meanwhile, the state’s Advocate General Kishore Dutta had also resigned earlier, submitting his papers to Governor R N Ravi , adding to a series of high-level exits from key positions.

With the new mandate in place, West Bengal is witnessing a phase of administrative realignment, as top advisory and institutional posts undergo transition under the changed political landscape.