Editing Somnath Chatterjee (section)

===Expulsion from the CPI (M)===
After the CPI (M) withdrew its support for the UPA-led government in 2008, the party included Chatterjee's name on its list of MPs who were withdrawing their support from the government, despite his non-partisan position as Speaker. Chatterjee, however, appeared unwilling to follow the party line to vote against the government in a crucial July 2008 [[United Progressive Alliance#Vote of confidence|confidence vote]], as voting against the government would mean voting alongside the right-wing opposition BJP.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081008005730/http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=de97a497-5dae-4970-be86-ee3c8e8cb7c7&MatchID1=4735&TeamID1=8&TeamID2=6&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1194&PrimaryID=4735&Headline=Speaker+adamant%2C+may+quit+LS%2C+CPM&strParent=strParentID  "Speaker adamant, may quit both House and party"], ''Hindustan Times'', 17 July 2008.</ref> Ignoring the party's instructions, he decided to stay on in his post as Speaker of the House, acting in this capacity during the confidence vote. Following the vote, which the government survived, on 23 July 2008, the CPI (M) expelled him from the party for violation of [[party discipline]].<ref>[http://www.headlinesindia.com/main.jsp?news_code=79560 "Somnath pays price for violating party line"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007173457/http://www.headlinesindia.com/main.jsp?news_code=79560 |date=7 October 2008 }}, IANS (headlinesindia.com), 23 July 2008.</ref> A CPI (M) [[press release]] said, "The Politburo of the Communist Party of India-Marxist has unanimously decided to expel Somnath Chatterjee from the membership of the party with immediate effect. This action has been taken under Article XIX, clause 13 of the Party Constitution for seriously compromising the position of the party."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ibnlive.com/news/somnath-chatterjee-shown-the-door-by-cpim/69418-3.html?xml |title=CPI-M fails to pull down Govt, sacks Somnath|date=23 July 2008|publisher=CNN IBN|access-date=2008-07-23}}</ref> Bengal secretary [[Biman Bose]] said "Chatterjee may have acted according to the Indian Constitution but the party constitution is supreme in [the] case of party members."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080724/jsp/frontpage/story_9593437.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080727014701/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080724/jsp/frontpage/story_9593437.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 July 2008 |title= The Telegraph}}</ref>

According to Chatterjee, the expulsion was "one of the saddest days" of his life. He suggested that future speakers should resign from their parties while serving in that office to help ensure its non-partisan standing.<ref>Santosh H K Narayan, [http://www.headlinesindia.com/main.jsp?news_code=80023 "No taker of Speaker's suggestion"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007173518/http://www.headlinesindia.com/main.jsp?news_code=80023 |date=7 October 2008 }}, headlinesindia.com, 1 August 2008.</ref> His constituency of Bolpur had already been reserved for the [[Scheduled Castes]], meaning he would have been unable to contest the seat in the [[2009 Indian general election|next election]]; he announced in August 2008, following his expulsion from the CPI(M), that he would retire from politics at the time of the next election in 2009. He was broadly respected in his constituency; the CPI(M)'s 2009 candidate, [[Ramchandra Dom]], expressed admiration for Chatterjee and vowed to continue his work, while the Congress candidate, [[Asit Mal]], said that the people of Bolpur were "hurt at the way [Chatterjee] was driven out of the CPI-M" and that their feelings would "be reflected in the results".<ref>Sirshendu Panth, [http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/retired-somnath-chatterjee-omnipresent-in-old-constituency_100174951.html "Retired Somnath Chatterjee omnipresent in old constituency"], IANS (thaindian.com), 3 April 2009.</ref>