The Winter session of the West Bengal Assembly, originally set for December this year, has been postponed to the first half of January next year, as announced by Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay. The delay was due to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state, with many legislators seeking a postponement to focus on SIR-related activities in their constituencies.
Bandopadhyay mentioned that the Winter session will align with the completion of the hearing session on claims and objections regarding the draft voters’ list by January next year. Sources indicated that the Winter session must conclude by January to precede the interim budget session in February, followed by the announcement of crucial Assembly poll dates in the state.
During the interim budget session in February, only vote on accounts will be approved, with the full budget awaiting the formation of the new state Cabinet post the upcoming Assembly elections, expected no earlier than the last week of May or the first week of June next year. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has scheduled the publication of the final voters’ list on February 14 next year, leading to the subsequent announcement of polling dates.
Traditionally, the Winter session of the West Bengal Assembly takes place in November or December each year. Notably, a flower show was held at the Assembly premises on Wednesday, with all 65 legislators of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) absent from the event. Speaker Bandopadhyay clarified that the flower show, a regular occurrence, was non-political in nature.
