2 TMC MLAs protest after West Bengal governor declines to administer them oath in assembly | India News

NEW DELHI: Two newly elected Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Rayat Hossain Sarkar on Wednesday initiated a sit-in at the West Bengal assembly premises after governor C V Ananda Bose declined to administer oath or delegate the responsibility to the Speaker.
The two MLAs are now waiting for governor Bose to either administer their oath of office or authorise the Speaker to do so.
According to Sarkar, they have requested the governor to either come to the assembly and administer the oath or allow the Speaker to do so on his behalf.
However, both requests have been declined. As a result, the MLAs have chosen to conduct a sit-in protest on the assembly staircase, carrying placards and urging the governor to reconsider and enable them to commence their duties as elected representatives.

Bandyopadhyay emphasised the practical implications of not being sworn-in, saying that without taking the oath, they cannot officially function as MLAs, which directly affects their ability to serve their constituencies effectively.
“We have requested the Honourable Governor to come to the assembly and administer the oath of office or delegate it to the Speaker. However, he has declined both options. Therefore, we are waiting on the assembly staircase,” Sarkar told PTI.
Speaker Biman Banerjee has highlighted that the oath-taking ceremony is a constitutional protocol, and he expressed readiness to facilitate the ceremony within the Assembly if the governor consents. He emphasized the importance of avoiding an impasse in this matter.
MLAs were elected from Baranagar near Kolkata and Bhagwangola in Murshidabad district, respectively.
The governor had initially invited both MLAs to attend the oath-taking ceremony at Raj Bhavan on June 26.
The governor is authorized to administer the oath to an MLA, according to constitutional norms.Conventionally, in the case of by-polls or in situations where newly elected MLAs need to take oath, the governor typically delegates the responsibility to administer the oath to either the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.