Impasse over swearing-in of four newly-elected MLAs continues

Kolkata: The constant exchange of communiques between the Raj Bhavan and the state Legislative Assembly has created complications over the swearing-in of the four winning candidates of the recent by-elections.

Soon after the results of the by-elections at Maniktala, Bagda (North-24 Parganas), Ranaghat Dakshin (Nadia) and Raiganj (North Dinajpur) were declared and gazette notification was published, the Parliamentary Affairs department wrote to Governor C V Ananda Bose on the swearing-in of the winning candidates. The Assembly also wrote to the Governor on the same subject following which the Raj Bhavan on Thursday night reverted with a slew of questions on the issue.

Sources said Raj Bhavan inquired whether the Deputy Speaker as nominated by the Governor had administered oath to Sayantka Banerjee and Reyat Hossain Sarkar who won by elections from Baranagar and Bhagwangola Assembly constituencies, respectively.

The communique stated that various newspaper reports had stated that it was Speaker Biman Banerjee who presided over the oath taking instead of Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee.

Raj Bhavan has asked if this was true and in case it is then why it was done. The letter has also questioned why in the recent swearing-in of four MLAs it was stated that either the Governor should come to the Assembly for administering oath or assign the Speaker to do the same.

It is learnt that a letter from the Assembly has already informed the Governor that the Deputy Speaker was asked to do the needful in case of Banerjee and Hossain Sarkar but he refused as the Speaker was very much present.

In this backdrop, abiding by the rule book, it was the Speaker who did the needful.

However, according to sources in the Assembly, with the session starting from Monday, there is no bar on the part of the Speaker to preside over the swearing-in of the four candidates who have won the by polls held this month. It remains to be seen whether the Speaker treads the same path in case of oaths of the four MLAs as he had done in case of Banerjee and Hossain.