State seeks Guv’s nod for oath-taking of newly elected MLAs

Kolkata: The state government is learnt to have sent a letter to Raj Bhavan asking for the Governor’s nod for the oath-taking ceremony of the four newly elected Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs in the recently concluded bypolls.

It reportedly came to light that the Parliamentary Affairs department as well as the secretariat of the state Assembly is learnt to have written to Governor C V Ananda Bose.

Proceedings in the state Assembly are set to start from July 22. Sources said that it is being hoped that these four MLAs will be able to take the oath within the first few days of the Assembly session.

The four newly elected MLAs are Madhuparna Thakur from Bagda, Supti Pandey from Maniktala, Krishna Kalyani from Raiganj and Dr Mukut Mani Adhikari from Ranaghat-Dakshin. The state government, it was learnt, wants to avoid any unnecessary delay and controversy over the oath-taking ceremony, unlike the previous time when two MLAs opted for a sit-in demonstration and eventually were sworn in by Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee.

Generally, the nod for swearing in of MLA-elect in bypolls is given by the Governor and the Speaker is then bestowed with the responsibility of administering the oath.

The Assembly secretariat is hoping for the same this time too, sources said. However, sources said that the state is not ruling out the possibility of the Governor insisting that he will administer the oath at Raj Bhavan. State Cabinet sources said that the reaction from the Governor will determine the next course of action.

In case the Governor decides to prolong the process, the Speaker of the House, using his own authority under Section 5 of Chapter 2 of the ‘Rules of Business’ of the state Assembly, will himself administer the oath of the four newly elected MLAs at the forthcoming session of the House.