TMC MLAs' Oath Ceremony Sparks Row at West Bengal Assembly

A conflict arose over the swearing-in ceremony locale for two new TMC MLAs, as they refused to take the oath at Raj Bhavan. Instead, they staged a dharna at the assembly complex, demanding the ceremony be held there, adhering to convention. The governor stated that an objectionable letter from the speaker led to his decision.

A conflict intensified on Thursday regarding the venue for the swearing-in ceremony of two newly elected TMC MLAs. The legislators refused to take the oath at Raj Bhavan as directed by Governor CV Ananda Bose, and instead, staged a dharna in the assembly complex.

Baranagar MLA Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Bhagabangola MLA Rayat Hossain Sarkar sat in protest before the BR Ambedkar statue within the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha, demanding that the governor facilitate their oath-taking ceremony in the assembly to enable them to perform their legislative duties.

The governor had invited the MLAs, elected in the recent bypolls, to take the oath at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday. They declined, citing convention that mandates the speaker or deputy speaker to administer oaths for bypoll winners. Governor Bose rejected the ceremony in the assembly and went to New Delhi.

"We waited until 4 PM on Wednesday for the governor, but he didn't come. Today, we sat on dharna with the demand that our constitutional right to work for the people be facilitated without delay," Bandyopadhyay told reporters.

The dharna continued from 12:30 PM to 4 PM. Following the protest, Bandyopadhyay stated she would again request the governor to hold the ceremony in the assembly.

Sarkar expressed frustration over the delay, stating, "We are losing vital time. Why isn't the governor coming here to conduct the ceremony?"

On Wednesday, Speaker Biman Banerjee accused Bose of turning the issue into an "ego battle." The governor, from New Delhi, defended his stance, noting that the Constitution empowers him to decide the oath-administration process. He mentioned that an objectionable letter from the speaker undermined the dignity of the governor's office, making the assembly venue unfeasible.

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