In a significant move, newly-elected TMC MLA Sayantika Banerjee has informed West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose that she will not take her oath of office at Raj Bhavan. Instead, Banerjee has opted to be sworn in at the state legislative Assembly in the presence of Speaker Biman Bandyopadhayay.
This decision comes shortly after the Governor extended an invitation to Banerjee and another newly elected MLA, Reyat Hossain Sarkar from Bhagwangola, to participate in an oath-taking ceremony scheduled for June 26 at Raj Bhavan.
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Traditionally, the Governor delegates the task of swearing in new legislators to either the Assembly Speaker or the Deputy Speaker. These ceremonies typically occur within the state Assembly, while the Governor presides over the swearing-in of the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers at Raj Bhavan.
Sayantika Banerjee meets Speaker
On Monday, Sayantika Banerjee personally met with Speaker Biman Bandyopadhayay to inform him of her decision. Banerjee, an actor-turned-politician, recently won the Baranagar Assembly constituency.
Addressing the media, Speaker Biman Bandyopadhayay criticised the Governor’s actions, stating, “This is a lapse on the part of the Governor. He is glaringly breaking constitutional conventions. It is unfortunate that we have to witness this. If his good sense prevails, then he is free to come to the Assembly and administer the oath to the MLAs. I don’t know if the President has ever administered an oath to any mid-term elected MP.”
As of now, there has been no official response from Raj Bhavan regarding these developments.
A similar incident
In a related incident two years ago, TMC’s Ballygunge MLA Babul Supriyo faced a similar situation, where a delay in his oath-taking was caused by a dispute between the Assembly Speaker and then-Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar over who would oversee the ceremony.
Dhankhar had appointed Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee for the task, citing Article 188 of the Constitution, which mandates that new legislative assembly members take their oath before the Governor or an appointed representative.
