Kolkata, March 25: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken a significant step by resigning from 23 government positions and committees ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. She submitted her resignation with immediate effect, as confirmed by a letter from the Chief Minister’s office.
On March 23, 2026, Banerjee wrote to the Chief Secretary, resigning from various departments and institutions where she held positions, including those as Chief Minister. She also requested to resign from positions not listed in her resignation.
On March 24, 2026, the Department of Home and Hill Affairs issued an official letter informing all additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and Secretaries of the departments about her resignation. The letter stated that Banerjee had resigned from these positions with immediate effect and requested the departments to initiate the process of accepting her resignations promptly.
The government letter clearly instructed that resignations from all relevant positions and institutions, where she serves as chairperson or member, should be accepted. Additionally, compliance reports of the accepted resignations are to be emailed to the Home Department by 4 PM on March 25, 2026.
Banerjee’s resignation letter was notably brief, stating, “I am resigning from all my positions with immediate effect. Necessary actions for acceptance of these resignations should be taken.”
According to government sources, this move was made to comply with the Election Commission‘s rules, aiming to avoid any ‘Office of Profit’ situation and maintain ethical standards before the elections. However, Mamata Banerjee remains the Chief Minister of West Bengal and retains her key cabinet positions, having only resigned from additional committees and boards.