Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday proposed the name of Rathindra Bose, the first-time MLA from Cooch Behar Dakshin, as the Speaker of the 18th Bengal Assembly.

The Bengal BJP’s decision to officially nominate Bose as its candidate for the post of Speaker is being viewed as a major political recognition for Cooch Behar and the entire north Bengal region. Since Independence, this is the first time that a legislator from north Bengal has been nominated for the Speaker’s post in the Assembly.

Bose, 65, and a chartered accountant by profession, is set to be elected as the first Speaker of the BJP-led Bengal Assembly on Friday, as the majority of the MLAs are from the ruling dispensation.

Bose has strong RSS connections and has been intensively involved in the BJP’s organisational work for years. A former vice-president and state general secretary of the BJP state unit, currently, he is the convenor of the Siliguri organisational division.

“He (Bose) is a devoted party worker who never wanted to be a candidate or the Speaker. The incumbent in that post needs to have political experience and a strong academic background. He possesses both, as he is a chartered accountant and a dedicated party functionary,” said Suvendu Adhikari after proposing Bose's name.

In a social media post, Suvendu wrote: “BJP MLA from Cooch Behar Dakshin Assembly constituency, Shri Rathindra Bose, has been nominated as the Speaker candidate for the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly. I hope he will be elected unanimously.”

Suvendu claimed that no earlier election of the Speaker had been conducted in accordance with the proper procedure.

“We will also invite the Opposition MLAs and expect that they will uphold the glory of the House by taking part in the election process. We welcome everyone to elect the new Speaker and usher in a new era,” he said.

Suvendu recalled he was suspended for 11 months during the five-year tenure of the 17th Assembly.

“You will witness the difference. We believe the new Speaker will be the best among the flock and at least will not throw out the leader of the Opposition for 11 months,” said the first BJP chief minister.

During the last five years of the Trinamool Congress regime, BJP MLAs repeatedly accused then Speaker, Biman Banerjee, of bias against Opposition MLAs on the floor of the House.

Suvendu, who was then the leader of the Opposition, was allegedly manhandled by Assembly security guards following directions from the then Speaker Banerjee. He was suspended from the House several times during his tenure as Nandigram MLA and the leader of the Opposition.

Besides Suvendu, many BJP MLAs such as Shankar Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul and Manoj Oraon were suspended for months following protests on the Assembly floor.

Party sources said Bose had played a key role in building the party’s organisational strength since 2018, due to which the BJP won 40 out of 54 seats in north Bengal.

Bose is in charge of 28 Assembly constituencies in the Siliguri division, and the party swept most of those seats in the 2026 Assembly elections, helping the BJP raise its tally to 207.

Bose said he would run the House by taking suggestions from experienced MLAs of his party and would lead democratically.

“I will carry out whatever responsibility the party assigns to me. The BJP believes in democracy and the opposition will be given full opportunity to express its views,” he said.

“I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon’ble chief minister for allowing me to shoulder this important responsibility,” Bose wrote on his X handle. “With the blessings of the people of Cooch Behar Dakshin, I will strive to uphold the dignity of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and work sincerely in the interest of the people,” he added.

For the northern district of Cooch Behar, it is a “double reward” from the BJP government of the state. First, the party chose Nisith Pramanik, the MLA of Dinhata, as a member of the state cabinet and entrusted him with the departments of north Bengal development, sports, and youth affairs. Now, it has chosen Bose for the Speaker’s post.

Born in Cooch Behar, Bose hails from the Debibari area of the district. Biraj Bose, his younger brother, currently serves as the district vice-president of the BJP.

Bose completed his graduation in commerce from the BT & Evening College of Cooch Behar before pursuing chartered accountancy in Calcutta. After becoming a CA, he stood fifth in the all-India cost accountancy examination conducted by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India. For some years he was based in London, but he eventually settled in Siliguri and remained deeply associated with the organisational politics of the RSS and the BJP in north Bengal.

Bose contested the 2016 Assembly election from the Dabgram-Fulbari constituency of Jalpaiguri but lost to Trinamool candidate Gautam Deb.

However, in the 2026 Assembly elections, he secured a victory from the Cooch Behar Dakshin seat by a margin of 23,284 votes.

As a CA, Bose handles the financial aspects of various eminent companies and enterprises, including the famous Glenary’s eatery of Darjeeling. Following Bose's nomination, Ajoy Edwards, a prominent hill leader who belongs to the Glenary’s family, congratulated him.

Ajay Roy, the newly elected BJP MLA from Dinhata, called Bose's nomination as Speaker "a proud and happy moment for the people of Cooch Behar and the entire north Bengal".