After Dhankhar’s elevation as VP candidate, why Bengal will be an uphill task for next governor

West Bengal is all set to get its new governor as Jagdeep Dhankhar has become the vice president candidate of the BJP-led NDA. Whoever becomes the new governor of the state managing Bengal would be an uphill task for the person. While there are several significant Bills awaiting the governor’s nod, the political confrontation between the Raj Bhavan and the Nabanna, the state secretariat, is standing on shaky grounds. The incoming governor has a lot on his plate, including upholding the Constitution, dealing with a street fighter and unanticipated leader like Mamata Banerjee, carrying out Central government interests, and striking a balance between political and constitutional duties.

Dhankhar’s temporary replacement in West Bengal is La Ganesan, one of the most well-known RSS veterans in southern India and a former president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. The President of India has given Ganesan, the Governor of Manipur, additional charge of West Bengal.

New Governor Will Face Expectation Pressure

Political leaders from across the spectrum in Bengal believe that the new governor may face massive pressure of expectation from every side. In the Constitution, the post of the governor is majorly a ceremonial one. But in Bengal, after the appointment of Dhankhar in 2019, this definition has entirely changed.

A senior TMC MP, on the condition of anonymity, said, “I have seen many governors in Bengal. But I must agree that Jagdeep Dhankhar was a unique person. You will find people who either hate him or love him. While the governor’s job is not to become a popular one, here we can see that his tricks have indeed worked as the BJP has made him the VP candidate.”

The Trinamool Congress, under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has expressed that it does not want a continuous confrontation between the state government and the Raj Bhavan. In the tenure of Governor Dhankhar, Bengal also witnessed repeated confrontations between the Raj Bhavan and the Assembly. Dhankhar personally attacked and criticised Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay on several occasions. The TMC expressed that such confrontations not only diminish the image of the state but also hamper the regular workings of the government and the Assembly. A senior TMC leader said, “We can only expect that the autonomy of the Assembly, state government, and other institutions will be upheld. Our expectations are as per the Constitution, which is that the Governor will work on the aid and advice of the Cabinet.”

Meanwhile, the Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party is also looking forward to seeing the new governor of West Bengal. There were several allegations from the ruling party that Dhankhar used to work hand in hand with the leader of the Opposition and BJP leader Subhendu Adhikari. However, the BJP rubbished these allegations. When asked about the expectations of the BJP Bengal unit from the new governor, a senior functionary of the party who did not want to be named said, “The Constitution of India is under attack in Bengal. Everyone knows that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a fascist leader and does not allow the Opposition to voice its opinion. This is why the post of the governor becomes very important to us. The allegations against the former governor are laughable and shameful. As the Opposition party of West Bengal, we have raised certain issues in front of the Governor. This is a general procedure that happens in a democracy.”

Significantly, sources in the Bengal BJP confirmed that the leadership has already expressed their views to central leaders on the kind of expectations they have from the governor, keeping in mind the political situation of the state.

Mamata Banerjee And The Bengal Assembly

One of the major issues in front of the new governor of Bengal will be dealing with a street fighter like Mamata Banerjee, who is the CM of the state. Banerjee is also the Trinamool Congress party’s supreme leader, and she is not afraid to take strong stances. Former governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Mamata Banerjee had many run-ins. During Dhankhar‘s tenure, Bengal witnessed an unprecedented way of functioning by the governor and chief minister. Both of them wrote strongly worded letters to each other, and all of these letters became public.

In one letter, Mamata Banerjee also mentioned clearly that the governor is disrespecting the people’s mandate by demeaning the elected chief minister of the state. She also pointed out that the post of governor is a “nominated” one. Dhankhar sought to actively participate in the decision-making process of the numerous institutions where he is the formal head, including state-run universities and refused to be a “rubber stamp” of the state government. He has repeatedly threatened to take action against IAS officers and university vice-chancellors and other senior officials who disobey his institutions.

Political observers in Bengal believe that it would be an uphill task for the new governor to coordinate with the Trinamool Congress-led Bengal government and the legislative Assembly. A TMC functionary said, “The former governor has created an atmosphere of distrust and that is why the senior leadership of our party is sceptical about the post of the government. While we have the utmost respect for the constitutional authorities, if such authorities work at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party, then as an Opposition political party and ruling party of the state, we will have to make our stand clear. "

Meanwhile, there are several important Bills that are pending the governor’s signature. One of the most important Bills is to replace the governor with the chief minister as the chancellor of the state universities of Bengal. In the background of repeated confrontations between the governor and the state university authorities, including the vice chancellors, the Mamata Banerjee government passed this new Bill in the legislative Assembly. However, former governor Jagdeep Dhankhar did not assent to the Bill and sent it back asking for more clarification. The Trinamool Congress also claimed that Bills like Howrah Municipal Corporation Amendment Bill 2021 are also pending the assent of the governor. All these Bills have administrative and political consequences. That is why the governor will have to be extra careful with these matters.

Balancing Between State And Centre

The main function of any governor is to uphold the Constitution of India. However, in several cases allegations of political bias of the governors have come forward. The current vice presidential candidate of India Jagdeep Dhankhar who was formerly the governor of West Bengal was accused repeatedly by the ruling Trinamool Congress of being biased towards the Bharatiya Janata Party. Leaders of the Bengal BJP unit believe that the new governor will face some primary difficulties in this duty.

A senior BJP functionary who does not want to be named said, “From 2019 Jagdeep Dhankhar learned the technicalities of the governor. With time he became an expert on the issues and also got more knowledge of the state and its politics. The new governor whoever it will be will face a tough time understanding the state if he is not aware of the day-to-day politics of Bengal.”

There are several names which are going around as probable appointees as Bengal governor. Kiran Bedi, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and also senior TMC MP who allegedly joined the BJP later Sishir Adhikar’s names are going around.

Meanwhile, the TMC is significantly trying to play safely on the issue of the vice presidential election and the appointment of the new governor. A senior TMC functionary, however, said, “Everyone in Bengal knows that Jagdeep Dhankhar used to work on the behest of the BJP. Now as he is not there the state BJP is scared. Panchayat elections are coming, 2024 Lok Sabha and then 2026 Vidhan Sabha elections will take place in Bengal and the Bharatiya Janata Party wants a governor who will just take instructions from the central government and the party unit of Bengal.”

The author is an independent journalist and columnist based in Kolkata and a former policy research fellow at the Delhi Assembly Research Centre. He tweets as @sayantan_gh_. Views expressed are entirely personal._

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