Decode Politics: Away from Delhi show, why a Kolkata swearing-in has run into drama

A NEW STANDOFF is underway between the ruling Trinamool Congress and Governor in West Bengal – this time over the swearing-in of two MLAs of the party who won in recent bypolls.

On Wednesday noon, the two, Sayantika Banerjee (Baranagar MLA) and Rayat Hossain Sarkar (Bhagabangola MLA), began a four-hour wait – till 4 pm – in the state Assembly compound for Governor C V Ananda Bose to come and swear them in.

Bose too was waiting, over at the Raj Bhavan, having told the two MLAs to come there at 12 pm Wednesday for the swearing-in.

What is the standoff about?

Constitutionally, the Governor administers the oath to an MLA. But by convention, in case of a bypoll, the Governor assigns the job to the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.

In this case, Bose has refused to give the go-ahead for the same, and has instead demanded that Banerjee and Sarkar, both first-time MLAs, come to the Raj Bhavan to be sworn in by him.

Banerjee and Sarkar won in bypolls held on June 1, comfortably defeating a BJP and Congress candidate, respectively.

What have the MLAs said?

With the TMC at loggerheads with Bose on various issues, including security at the Raj Bhavan, the two MLAs have said that the Governor should either authorise the Speaker or Deputy Speaker to swear them in, or come to the Assembly if he wants to administer the oath himself.

On Monday, Banerjee wrote to Bose, asking him to let Speaker Biman Banerjee administer her the oath as MLA.

On Tuesday, she told reporters: “I am a Member of the Legislative Assembly, and I need to work from here. The general practice is that in the case of a by-election, the Governor writes to the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker to administer the oath. That is why I wrote to the Governor… and said I