State Assembly passes Panchayat Bill extending no-confidence bar to 3 yrs

Kolkata: The West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Saturday passed the West Bengal Panchayat (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in order to increase the minimum period before which a no-confidence motion can be brought against elected representatives of the three-tier Panchayat system.

Under the new provision, no-confidence motions against Sabhadhipatis or Sahakari Sabhadhipatis of district councils, Presidents or vice-presidents of Panchayat samitis, and Pradhans and Upa-Pradhans of Gram Panchayats cannot be initiated before three years. Earlier, such motions were permitted after two and a half years.

Explaining the rationale behind the amendment, state Panchayat and Rural Development minister Pradip Mazumdar said the move is aimed at ensuring stability of Panchayat bodies for time-bound delivery of services to the public at large.

“It will also prevent misuse of the provision for removal of 75,000 odd office bearers of the Panchayat bodies and ensure proper organisational dynamics of Panchayat bodies for their effective functioning,” Mazumdar said.

Trinamool Congress MLA from Patharpratima, Samir Jana, spoke in support of the legislation, while BJP MLA from South Kanthi, Arup Kumar Das, opposed it on behalf of the Opposition.

Das alleged that the amendment was politically motivated rather than ensuring

administrative stability. He claimed that the ruling

party was attempting to safeguard its internal stability ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

The three-tier Panchayat bodies in West Bengal were constituted during July and August 2023.

Once the Bill receives the nod of the Governor , no-confidence motions will not be permissible before the completion of three years, instead of the earlier two-and-a-half-year period.