Senior BJP leader and first-time MLA Rathindra Bose is set to become Speaker of the newly constituted 18th West Bengal Assembly unopposed after the ruling party backed his nomination and the TMC chose not to contest, clearing the way for a smooth election on Friday.

Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday named Bose, the MLA from Cooch Behar Dakshin, as the BJP’s candidate for the Speaker’s post.

Senior BJP leader Tapas Roy took oath on Tuesday as the pro-tem Speaker of the West Bengal Assembly, initiating the first formal proceedings of the newly formed House.

With the BJP enjoying an overwhelming majority of 207 MLAs in the 294-member House after its emphatic victory in the recent assembly polls, Bose's elevation had appeared a mere formality.

The TMC's decision to stay away from the contest has now effectively cleared the path for his election without a fight.

His ascent also carries a significant regional and political message.

Bose is poised to become the first MLA from North Bengal in post-Independence history to occupy the Speaker's chair in the West Bengal Assembly- a move likely to be viewed as a strategic signal from the BJP government towards a region that has emerged as one of the party's strongest political bastions in the state over the last decade.

Announcing the decision, Adhikari said he was confident Bose would be elected unanimously.

"The BJP MLA from the Cooch Behar Dakshin Assembly Constituency, the honourable Mr. Rathindra Bose, has been nominated as the candidate for the position of Speaker of the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly. I firmly believe that he will be unanimously elected as the Honourable Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly," the chief minister said in a social media post.

Speaking to reporters at the Assembly, Bose said he would carry out the responsibility entrusted to him by the party with sincerity and would seek guidance from experienced legislators whenever necessary.

"If elected, I will discharge my responsibilities with the spirit of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'," he said.

Bose filed his nomination papers in the presence of Adhikari and other BJP legislators.

A chartered accountant by profession, Bose had long been associated with the RSS before entering active politics.

In the recently held assembly election, he defeated TMC candidate Abhijit De Bhowmik by more than 23,000 votes from the Cooch Behar Dakshin seat.

His selection is also seen as a departure from a long-observed political convention in the state, where parties traditionally preferred lawyers or legislators with legal backgrounds for the Speaker's chair.

During the previous TMC regime, veteran legislator Biman Banerjee served as Speaker.

Earlier, under Left Front governments, figures such as Syed Abdul Mansur Habibullah and Hashim Abdul Halim had occupied the chair.

Political observers believe Bose's nomination reflects not just an administrative choice but also the BJP leadership's attempt to balance regional aspirations and reward emerging faces as it seeks to consolidate its political footprint after scripting a historic power shift in Bengal.