New Delhi

The All India Trinamool Congress on Friday criticised the Centre over a major reshuffle of governors across several states, alleging that the move reflects the Narendra Modi government’s “contempt for constitutional federalism” and accusing it of turning Raj Bhavans into “BJP war rooms”.

The party was reacting to the appointment of R. N. Ravi as the new Governor of West Bengal, replacing C. V. Ananda Bose, who resigned abruptly on Thursday.

The appointment was part of a wider reshuffle of gubernatorial posts across several states and Union territories carried out by Droupadi Murmu late Thursday night.

TMC leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said state governments should be involved in the appointment of governors.

Citing recommendations made by the Sarkaria Commission and the Punchhi Commission, Roy said state governments must be consulted in the process.

“State governments must be involved in the appointment of the governor with the formation of panels, recommended by the Sarkaria Commission,” Roy said in a post on X, adding that the Punchhi Commission had also recommended consultation with the concerned state government.

TMC’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sagarika Ghose, said consultation with states in appointing governors was the “basic grammar of federalism”.

“The Sarkaria and Punchhi Commissions were clear: state governments should be consulted in the appointment of governors. That’s basic grammar of federalism and democracy,” she wrote on X.

“By unilaterally appointing a new governor for Bengal, the Modi government again displays its contempt for constitutional federalism. Raj Bhavans becoming BJP war rooms,” Ghose alleged.

The Punchhi Commission, chaired by former Chief Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi, had in its 2010 report recommended that the appointment of governors be made by a panel that includes the chief minister of the concerned state.

Similarly, the Sarkaria Commission, headed by retired Ranjit Singh Sarkaria, had recommended that the chief minister be consulted before appointing a governor.

Political circles were abuzz following the sudden resignation of Bose just weeks before the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.

In a statement, Rashtrapati Bhavan said that President Murmu had accepted Bose’s resignation.

Speaking to PTI from New Delhi, Bose confirmed the development, saying he had stepped down after serving as the governor of West Bengal for three-and-a-half years.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that Bose might have been pressured by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to “serve certain political interests” ahead of the polls.

With Ravi moving to West Bengal, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will discharge the functions of the governor of Tamil Nadu.

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Ravi, a former deputy national security adviser, had frequently been at loggerheads with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government led by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin over several issues during his tenure in the southern state.