13th May | West Bengal
The first session of the newly elected 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly will commence on May 15, marking the beginning of a new political chapter in the state following the recently concluded Assembly elections. The election of the Speaker will take place on the opening day of the session, according to official notifications issued by the Assembly secretariat.Senior BJP legislator Tapas Roy has been appointed as the pro tem Speaker and was administered the oath by Governor R. N. Ravi at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata. As pro tem Speaker, Roy will oversee the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected MLAs and conduct House proceedings until a permanent Speaker is elected.The Assembly session comes at a politically significant moment after the Bharatiya Janata Party formed the government in West Bengal, ending the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in the state. The new government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is expected to use the inaugural session to outline its legislative agenda and policy priorities for the coming term.According to officials, the swearing-in ceremony for MLAs will be held in phases over two days to ensure smooth proceedings. Newly inducted ministers and senior leaders are likely to take oath during the initial phase, followed by legislators from various districts across the state. Tight security arrangements and verification measures have also been put in place inside the Assembly premises ahead of the high-profile session.Political parties have simultaneously begun preparing their legislative strategies. The Trinamool Congress, now in the Opposition, has appointed veteran leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. Senior party leader Firhad Hakim has been named the chief whip of the party in the House.The Speaker’s election on the opening day is expected to be one of the key highlights of the session. Parliamentary affairs experts believe the choice of Speaker will play a crucial role in ensuring smooth conduct of Assembly business amid a politically charged atmosphere between the ruling BJP and the Opposition TMC.The upcoming session is expected to set the tone for the functioning of the 18th West Bengal Assembly and define the political direction of the state over the next five years.