Two newly-elected Trinamool MLAs waited in the assembly for more than four hours for Governor CV Ananda Bose to turn up to administer the oath of office to them.
They also staged a dharna outside the assembly building. The governor, on his part, waited at the Raj Bhawan and made arrangements to administer the oath to the two MLAs at 12.30 pm, escalating the tussle between him and the ruling party.
State assembly insiders said this kind of instance of newly-elected MLAs sitting on a dharna at the assembly premises is unprecedented.
Bhagawangola MLA Reyat Hossain Sarkar and Baranagar MLA Sayantika Banerjee were seen sitting on the steps of state assembly holding placards which read: “Waiting for the arrival of the Governor.”
Some Trinamool MLAs also accompanied them, as a mark of solidarity.
Bandyopadhyay and Sarkar were elected from Baranagar near Kolkata and Bhagwangola in Murshidabad district, respectively.
Speaker Biman Banerjee said: “We want to know who will administer the oath… I am taking legal advice on the issue. We have written a detailed letter to the Governor. If needed, I will seek help from the President. I will also try to understand the Speaker’s limitation and purview,” he said.
“We do not want anything. We cannot understand what our fault is. We are appealing that we should be able to immediately start doing development work. We cannot do it unless the oath is administered. There is only one and a half years left to complete the term,” the MLAs said.
Bose left for New Delhi in a pre-scheduled visit after waiting for the MLAs at the Raj Bhawan, sources said. Bose had posted a statement on his X handle on Tuesday.
