West Bengal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee on Monday requested Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to administer the oath to the newly-elected MLAs, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on October 7. The Governor has on the other said that he was requested last week to appoint the assembly speaker to administer the oath to the MLAs elected through a by-poll in Bhabanipur and election to Jangipur and Samserganj seats.
Dhankhar tweeted that once the by-election results are gazetted, a call will be taken in this matter.
“We want the Hon’ble Governor to administer the oath to the newly-elected MLAs. We will request him to do so on October 7 in the assembly,”
Chatterjee, who is also the secretary-general of the ruling TMC, told reporters.
According to assembly sources, Chatterjee has also sent a letter to the governor in this regard.
Banerjee has won the Bhabanipur by-poll with a record margin of 58,835 votes. Her party candidates too won emphatic wins in Jangipur and Samserganj in Murshidabad, where polling had to be countermanded during the April-May assembly poll following the death of two contestants.
The counting in the three seats were held on Sunday and the results were declared.
Dhankhar said in his tweet “The practice and proceedings at the level of the assembly and the government has apparently emanated under misconception of law. Once in terms of the legal regime applicable, the results of the by-election is gazetted, the matter would, through appropriate channel be brought to my notice where under a call as deemed appropriate under the Article 188 of the Constitution would be taken.
"In this premise, as and when issuance of the gazette notification by the applicable legal regime is effected, a call will be taken as aforestated,” he said.
Banerjee had to win an assembly seat to ensure an unbroken stint as chief minister. She was required to win the seat by November 5 conforming to the constitutional provisions.
The Constitution allows a non-member of a state legislature or Parliament to continue in a ministerial position without getting elected for six months.
Cabinet minister and TMC veteran Sovandeb Chattopadhyay had vacated the Bhabanipur seat to facilitate Banerjee's return to the assembly from her home constituency after her defeat in Nandigram in the hands of her former protege and now BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
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