The first session of the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly is scheduled to take place on May 13 and 14, during which Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari along with newly elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) will be sworn in as legislators in a phased ceremony spread across two days.The session comes after the recently concluded state elections, marking the formal beginning of the new legislative term. Suvendu Adhikari, who was sworn in as Chief Minister on May 9 at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground, is also required to take oath as an MLA during this session.
In the elections, he secured victories from two constituencies — Nandigram and Bhabanipur — and is yet to announce which seat he will retain, a decision that will determine the eventual by-election process.The oath-taking ceremony has been carefully structured to ensure smooth administration and avoid overcrowding within the Assembly. On the first day, between 11 am and 1:30 pm, Chief Minister Adhikari will take the oath alongside members of his Cabinet. During the same time slot, MLAs from northern and western districts of the state, including Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Malda, and Murshidabad, covering constituencies numbered 1 to 76, will also be administered their oaths.
Later on the first day, between 2 pm and 4:30 pm, legislators from Nadia, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas will take their oaths. This group includes MLAs from constituencies numbered 77 to 157, excluding constituency 144, which is scheduled separately. The staggered timing has been introduced to ensure orderly proceedings and allow adequate administrative coordination for the large number of elected representatives.
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The second day of the session will focus on remaining regions of the state. Between 11 am and 1:30 pm, MLAs from Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Purba Medinipur, and Jhargram will be sworn in. This group includes constituencies numbered 158 to 218, along with 220 to 222 and 237. These regions represent some of the most politically significant urban and semi-urban areas of the state, making this segment of the ceremony particularly notable.
The final phase of oath-taking will take place between 2 pm and 4:30 pm on the second day, covering MLAs from Paschim Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, and Birbhum. With this, the full set of elected representatives from all districts of West Bengal will have formally assumed their legislative responsibilities.
The two-day process is expected to officially complete the constitution of the new Assembly, enabling the government to begin legislative proceedings in full capacity. Following the oath-taking, key administrative and policy discussions are likely to commence in the upcoming session cycle.The Assembly’s opening session is also being viewed as politically significant, as it sets the tone for the new government’s legislative agenda and governance priorities for the coming term.
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