State to write to Guv for administering oath to four newly-elected MLAs

Kolkata: In a bid to avoid any unnecessary delay and controversy over the oath taking ceremony of the newly-elected four Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs in the recently concluded bypolls in four seats, the state is soon to write to Governor CV Ananda Bose requesting him to do the needful.

It was reportedly learnt that a communique from the state Parliamentary Affairs department will be sent to the office of the Governor this week where he will be requested to either administer the oath ceremony of the four newly elected MLAs or nominate anyone for the same. As per the protocol, such initial communique regarding the oath-ceremony of newly elected MLAs has to go to the office of the Governor from the office of the state Parliamentary affairs minister.

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 any forthcoming session of the House.

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 decision of the state to write to the Governor comes in the wake of a recent controversy where two winning TMC MLAs in bypolls in two seats — Baranagar and Bhagwangola — opted for a sit-in demonstration demanding that the Governor administer them their oath in the state Assembly. In the cases of Sayantika Banerjee and Reyat Hossain Sarkar, a special one-day session of the Assembly had to be convened for the Speaker to administer their oath ceremony.

However, in the case of the four newly-elected MLAs that may not be required as the oath ceremony can be conducted in the forthcoming monsoon session of the Assembly resuming this month.