West Bengal Legislative Assembly
West Bengal Legislative Assembly Paścimabaṅga Vidhānasabhā | |
|---|---|
| 17th West Bengal Assembly | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | 5 years |
| Leadership | |
Leader of the House (Chief Minister) | |
Deputy Leader of the House | |
Deputy Leader of the Opposition | Mihir Goswami, BJP (since 10 May 2021) |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 294 |
 | |
Political groups | Government (227)
Official Opposition (65)
Other Opposition (1)
Vacant (1)
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 27 March to 29 April 2021 |
Next election | 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Vidhan Sabha, Kolkata, West Bengal | |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Footnotes | |
| The Assembly was established in 1862 for the Bengal Presidency. The Presidency became the state of West Bengal in the Republic of India in 1950; the state of West Bengal in its current state was formed on 1 May 1960. | |
The West Bengal Legislative Assembly (ISO: Paścimabaṅga Vidhānasabhā) is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of West Bengal,[2] located in eastern India. It consists of 294 members directly elected from single-seat constituencies through the FPTP voting system.[3] The Assembly meets at Vidhan Sabha Bhavan in Kolkata, the capital of the state. The presiding officer of the Assembly is the Speaker, currently Biman Banerjee[3].
Members of the Assembly are directly elected by the people of West Bengal through elections held every five years, unless the Assembly is dissolved earlier. The current Assembly was elected in April–May 2021, and the next election is scheduled for 2026. The Assembly plays a key role in law-making for the state, handling crucial matters such as state budgets, development policies, and local governance. It has the authority to legislate on issues specified under the State and Concurrent Lists of the Constitution of India.
The Assembly functions through various committees that handle specific issues, including the budget, public accounts, and legislative procedures. The Chief Minister, who is the leader of the majority party in the Assembly, holds executive powers and is the head of the state government. The current Chief Minister is Mamata Banerjee from the AITC, who has been in office since May 2011.
The 2021 election was a significant political event, with the AITC securing a major victory, while the BJP emerged as the main opposition party. The elections were marked by intense campaigning, with a strong focus on issues like governance, development, and law and order in the state.[3][4][5][2]
History
The history of the West Bengal Legislature can be traced back to 18 January 1862 when under the Indian Councils Act 1861, a 12 Member Legislative Council for Bengal Presidency was established by the Governor-General of British India with the Lt. Governor of Bengal and some nominated members. The strength of the council was gradually enlarged by subsequent acts. Under the Indian Councils Act 1892, the maximum strength of the council was raised to 20 out of which seven were to be elected. The Indian Councils Act 1909 further raised the number of members of the council to 50. Under the Government of India Act 1919, the number of members of the Legislative Council was once again raised to 125. The Bengal Legislative Council constituted under the act of 1919 was formally inaugurated on 1 February 1921 by the Duke of Connaught.
A few years later, under the provisions of the Government of India Act 1935, two chambers of the Bengal Provincial Legislature: the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly, were created. The life of the assembly, consisting of 250 members, was to be five years unless dissolved sooner; while the council, with a membership of not less than 63 and not more than 65, was made a permanent body and not subject to dissolution with the provision that one-third of the members should retire every three years.
On the eve of Independence in 1947, Bengal Province was partitioned into West Bengal and East Bengal (East Pakistan). The West Bengal Legislative Assembly was constituted with 90 members representing the constituencies that fell within the area of West Bengal and two nominated members from Anglo-Indian community. The Bengal Legislative Council stood abolished. The Legislative Assembly met for the first time after Independence on 21 November 1947.
The Constitution of India again provided for a bicameral Legislature for West Bengal. Accordingly, the West Bengal Legislative Council consisting of 51 members was constituted on 5 June 1952. The number of members in the Legislative Assembly was 240 including two nominated members from the Anglo-Indian Community. After the first General Elections, the new Assembly met for the first time on 18 June 1952.
On 21 March 1969, a resolution was passed by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly for the abolition of the Legislative Council. Subsequently, Indian Parliament passed the West Bengal Legislative Council (Abolition) Act, 1969 abolishing the Legislative Council with effect from 1 August 1969.
Office bearers
| Position | Name | Party | Since | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker | Biman Banerjee | Trinamool Congress | 30 May 2011 | [6] |
| Deputy Speaker | Asish Banerjee | Trinamool Congress | 2 July 2021 | [7] |
| Leader of the House | Mamata Banerjee | Trinamool Congress | 20 May 2011 | [8] |
| Deputy Leader of the House | Sovandeb Chattopadhyay | Trinamool Congress | 5 August 2022 | [9] |
| Leader of the Opposition | Suvendu Adhikari | Bharatiya Janata Party | 10 May 2021 | [10] |
| Deputy Leader of the Opposition | Mihir Goswami | Bharatiya Janata Party | 10 May 2021 | [11] |
Members of Legislative Assembly
Source[30]
List of Assemblies
See also
References
- ^ "Veteran TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed dies of cardiac arrest in West Bengal". The Times of India. 2 February 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ^ a b "West Bengal 2021 Election Results: AITC's Victory and BJP's Challenge". NDTV. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ^ a b c "West Bengal General Legislative Election 2021 (Including AC 56 & 58)". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ^ "West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 Results". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ^ "West Bengal Legislative Assembly Election 2021 Results: Full List of Winners". India TV News. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ^ "Despite multiple defections, no disqualification recorded in Bengal assembly in past decade". The Indian Express. 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Asish Banerjee elected as Deputy Speaker of West Bengal Assembly". ANI News. 2 July 2021.
- ^ "Mamata Banerjee sworn in as West Bengal CM for third time". Hindustan Times. 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Guv has no authority to summon officers to discuss pending Bills: Bengal minister". The Print. April 2025.
- ^ "Suvendu Adhikari elected opposition leader in West Bengal assembly". The Times of India. 10 May 2021.
- ^ "West Bengal House suspends Suvendu Adhikari, 5 other BJP MLAs over Sandeshkhali unrest". The Times of India. 21 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Two West Bengal BJP MPs resign as MLAs after directive from party leadership". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "West Bengal: BJP's Alipurduar MLA Joins TMC Ahead Of Panchayat Election". news.abplive.com. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Bengal BJP MLA Bishnu Pada Roy dies at 61". The Hindu. 25 July 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Confine Kalimpong from GTA, demands MLA". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ Pal, Satyen (28 February 2024). "ফের বিজেপিতে ফিরলেন কালিয়াগঞ্জের বিধায়ক, পার্থর হাত ধরে গিয়েছিলেন তৃণমূলে!". Hindustantimes Bangla (in Bengali). Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "News18 Evening Digest: BJP MLA Krishna Kalyani Joins TMC And Other Top Stories". News18. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ "Bengal minister Subrata Saha dies of cardiac arrest". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "3 months after bypoll win, lone Congress MLA in West Bengal Bayron Biswas joins TMC". The Times of India. 30 May 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Veteran TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed dies of cardiac arrest in West Bengal". The Times of India. 2 February 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ^ "Mukul Roy: I Am A Bjp Mla, Mukul Says In Affidavit To Hc". The Times of India. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ "Bengal BJP MLA Biswajit Das rejoins TMC, third leader to return after Mamata Banerjee's win". The Indian Express. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
- ^ Jaiswal, Priya (25 April 2021). "TMC candidate Kajal Sinha passes away due to COVID-19 at Kolkata hospital". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "Trinamool's Jayanta Naskar, MLA from Gosaba, dies after testing Covid negative". Hindustan Times. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Bengal minister quits assembly to help CM Mamata contest old seat". Hindustan Times. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Bengal Minister Subrata Mukherjee dies at 75". The Hindu. 4 November 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "West Bengal Cabinet Minister Sadhan Pande passes away at 71". The Indian Express. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ "BJP MLA Tanmoy Ghosh joins Trinamool Congress". The Hindu. 30 August 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
- ^ "Bengal BJP MLA Harakali Protiher joins Trinamool Congress". India Today. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Election Commission of India". results.eci.gov.in. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "Outlook India Magazine Online- Read News India, Latest News Analysis, World, Sports, Entertainment | Best Online Magazine India". outlookindia.com. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ "Members of Parliament – Lok Sabha - Profile". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "- West Bengal Legislative Assembly". wbassembly.gov.in. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ "Former Leader of Opposition Atish Chanda Sinha dead". news.webindia123.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ "Former opposition leader and one of the founder of Trinamool Congress Pankaj Banerjee Passes Away. – News18 Bangla". News18 Bengali (in Bengali). 26 October 2018. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ "Team Mamata". Archived from the original on 3 February 2013.
- ^ "Surjya Kanta Mishra: A profile". The Hindu. 3 April 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ "Congress Abdul Mannan to be new leader of opposition in Bengal assembly". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
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