West Bengal Assembly Speaker Seeks VP Intervention Over TMC MLAs' Oath Ceremony Deadlock

West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee has called on Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar to resolve the dispute over the swearing-in venue for two newly elected TMC MLAs. The legislators have refused to take their oath at the Raj Bhavan and are demanding the ceremony happen in the assembly.

West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee has reached out to Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar for assistance in resolving the ongoing impasse concerning the oath-taking ceremony for two newly elected TMC MLAs.

The contention intensified on Thursday as Banerjee wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking her intervention. The MLAs, refusing to take their oath at Raj Bhavan as directed by Governor CV Ananda Bose, organized a dharna in the assembly complex.

Banerjee told PTI, 'Last night I called up Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and requested him to look into the matter. I also informed him that I had written to President Droupadi Murmu about the issue. What is happening regarding the swearing-in of the MLAs is unacceptable.'

Dhankhar, who served as West Bengal's Governor from July 2019 to July 2022, is now being called upon to mediate. Meanwhile, Baranagar MLA Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Bhagabangola MLA Rayat Hossain Sarkar resumed their dharna for a second consecutive day in front of the BR Ambedkar statue in the assembly complex. They are demanding that Bose facilitate their oath-taking ceremony in the assembly so they can begin their legislative duties.

The Governor had invited the two newly elected MLAs from the recent bypolls to take their oath in the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday, but they declined, citing tradition that the Speaker or Deputy Speaker administers the oath for poll winners.

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