India, May 7 -- West Bengal governor RN Ravi on Thursday dissolved the state assembly at the end of its five-year term. The move comes days after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee declared that she would not follow the convention of going to the governor to hand over her resignation as the state's chief minister despite losing a landslide election to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In the absence of her formal resignation, there was no opportunity for the governor to ask her to continue as the caretaker chief minister till her successor took oath.

"In exercise of the powers conferred upon the Governor under sub-clause (b) of clause 2 of Article 174 of the Constitution of India, RN Ravi Governor of West Bengal has issued an orde...