Budget Session set to begin on Tuesday; SIR debate lined up

Kolkata: The Budget Session of the Bengal Legislative Assembly will start from Tuesday with obituary references.

The main proceedings will begin on February 5, with Governor CV Ananda Bose addressing the Assembly. Immediately after the Governor’s address, the Vote on Account will be presented.

Keeping with convention, with the Assembly elections scheduled this year, the state government will not present a full-fledged Budget. Instead, a Vote on Account—an interim provision to meet government expenses for a few months—will be placed before the House.

The decision was formally sealed on Monday following the all-party meeting and the Business Advisory (BA) Committee meeting held in the Assembly. As of now, the business in the state Assembly has been assigned till February 9, but the Session is expected to be extended further with some important bills scheduled to be tabled.

Beyond financial business, the Session will host a discussion on the controversy surrounding the SIR of electoral rolls. The BA committee has cleared the way for a special discussion on this issue on February 6. “Two separate proposals were submitted for discussion on the issue—one by Naushad Siddique, MLA of the Indian Secular Front (ISF), and the other by state Parliamentary Affairs minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on behalf of the government.

Under the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, a government motion always takes precedence. Therefore, the proposal moved by Chattopadhyay has been accepted as the basis for the discussion. However, Siddique is welcome to take part in the debate,” said Speaker Biman Banerjee.

According to the Speaker, there have been reports of deaths and injuries linked to tensions around the SIR issue.

“Attempts are being made to create a divisive atmosphere. Therefore, this discussion is extremely important to address public concerns,” he added.

On February 9, the West Bengal Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, will be tabled, followed by a general discussion on the Vote on Account.

Although no representatives from the BJP or ISF attended Monday’s BA Committee meeting, the Speaker expressed hope that all parties would ultimately participate in the Session and uphold democratic norms by placing their views on record.