Impasse over swearing-in of newly elected TMC legislators continues as Governor refuses to hold programme in Assembly

Kolkata, June 26

The deadlock over the swearing-in of two newly elected TMC legislators continued on Wednesday as West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose refused to hold the programme in the Assembly as requested by them, and instead left for New Delhi, officials said.

Miffed by the development, the two MLAs, Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Rayat Hossain Sarkar, said they would wait for “a few more days” and would discuss the matter with the party’s top brass.

The two legislators, Speaker Biman Banerjee and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobhandeb Chottoapadhyay are currently holding a meeting in the Assembly.

The Raj Bhavan had earlier invited the two, who were elected to the Assembly in recent by-polls, to take the oath at the Governor’s House on Wednesday.

However, the TMC claimed that the convention dictates that in the case of by-poll winners, the governor assigns the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker of the assembly to administer the oath.

According to sources at Raj Bhavan, the Governor left for New Delhi in the evening.

Earlier in the day, the two MLAs arrived at the Assembly and stated their intention to wait for the governor until 4 pm to administer their oath of office or authorize the Speaker to do so.

They also staged a sit-in on the staircase of the Assembly demanding the same.

“We waited, but the Governor didn’t come. We came to know that he had left for New Delhi. We will wait for a few more days and see what happens. We are hopeful of taking the oath in the assembly,” Bandyopadhyay said.

Speaker Biman Banerjee, who expressed his displeasure over the situation, accused Bose of turning the swearing-in ritual into an “ego battle” and intentionally complicating the issue.

He claimed that an impasse was deliberately created for reasons best known to the Governor.

“We were waiting for the governor to come to the assembly, but he didn’t come. Such an impasse is not at all expected. The governor has turned it into an ego battle. He is exercising his powers. I will also consult legal experts to understand my powers,” he said.

“Until we take the oath, we cannot function as MLAs. The people of our constituencies are suffering,” Bandyopadhyay said.

Bandyopadhyay and Sarkar were elected from Baranagar near Kolkata and Bhagwangola in Murshidabad district, respectively.