TMC names Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as leader of opposition in West Bengal assembly
Kolkata (PTI): The TMC on Saturday appointed Ballygunge MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of opposition in the West Bengal assembly.
In a statement, the party announced that Dhanekhali MLA Asima Patra and Chowrangee legislator Nayna Bandyopadhyay would serve as deputy leaders of the opposition.
Kolkata Port MLA Firhad Hakim was appointed chief whip in the assembly.
Hakim is also the mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
The party said the newly appointed leaders would work "with commitment for the interest of the people of Bengal".
BJP swept the assembly elections, winning 207 seats in the 294-member House and forming the government in the state for the first time. The TMC won 80 seats in the elections.
Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as chief minister earlier in the day.
All India Trinamool Congress has unanimously decided that the following members shall hold the respective positions in the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly:
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 9, 2026
1. Leader of Opposition:
Shri Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay
2. Deputy Leaders of Opposition:
Smt. Asima Patra and Smt.… pic.twitter.com/L5KTDkywnr
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Karnataka government lifts ban on hijab in classrooms imposed in 2022
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Wednesday withdrew its 2022 order banning wearing hijab in classrooms and has issued a fresh order permitting students to wear a ‘limited traditional and practice-based symbols’.
According to the Deccan Herald, the preceding BJP government had, in February 2022, banned students from wearing hijab to classrooms, giving rise to a controversy as some Muslim girls were prevented from attending classes since their dress was not in accordance with the uniforms of the institutions. The BJP government also insisted that the girls follow the uniform prescribed by the schools or colleges they were studying in.
Further, in March 2022, the High Court upheld the government order, stating that wearing hijab was not an essential practice in Islam. The Supreme Court, however, delivered a split verdict in October the same year.
The present decision of the state government follows strong objections raised by leaders of the Muslim community when the Congress did not give the Davanagere bypoll ticket to a Muslim candidate.
The leaders reminded the party that the hijab issue remained unresolved although it was three years since the party came to power.
