West Bengal Governor's Snub Deepens Swearing-in Deadlock

The deadlock over the swearing-in of two newly elected TMC legislators continues as West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose refused to hold the ceremony at the assembly. The legislators, Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Rayat Hossain Sarkar, are now awaiting further instructions from the party's top brass.

The stalemate over the swearing-in of two freshly elected TMC lawmakers extended into Wednesday as West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose declined to conduct the ceremony in the assembly, choosing instead to depart for New Delhi, according to officials.

Displeased by the turn of events, the two MLAs, Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Rayat Hossain Sarkar, stated they would wait for 'a few more days' and would discuss the issue with the party's senior leadership.

Currently, the two legislators, Speaker Biman Banerjee, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobhandeb Chottoapadhyay are engaged in a meeting within the assembly.

Initially, Raj Bhavan had extended an invitation for the two newly elected members to take their oaths at the Governor's House on Wednesday. However, the TMC argued that tradition mandates the governor assigns the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker of the assembly to administer the oath.

Sources from Raj Bhavan confirmed that the governor left for New Delhi by evening. During the day, the two legislators signaled their intention to wait in the assembly until 4 pm for the governor to either administer their oath or authorize the Speaker to perform the ceremony.

Moreover, they staged a sit-in on the assembly staircase, demanding the same.

'We waited, but the Governor didn't come. We learned he went to New Delhi. We'll wait a few more days to see what unfolds. We remain hopeful of taking the oath in the assembly,' Bandyopadhyay commented.

Speaker Biman Banerjee, visibly displeased, accused Bose of transforming the swearing-in ceremony into an 'ego battle' and of deliberately complicating the procedure for reasons known only to him.

'We awaited the governor's arrival in the assembly, but he didn't show up. This deadlock is unexpected. The governor has turned this into an ego battle. He's asserting his powers. I will seek legal counsel to understand my authority in this situation,' Banerjee stated.

'Until we take the oath, we cannot serve as MLAs. Our constituency residents are suffering,' Bandyopadhyay added.

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

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)