Bengal will soon have an upper chamber, the Legislative Council, thanks to a motion voted by the state legislature today, over opposition from the BJP. In the absence of a by-election, 196 MLAs voted in favor of establishing a Vidhan Parishad, which the opposition claims have no legal validity and is being established to enable Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to become a member of the assembly.
The state’s Vidhan Parishad, formerly regarded as a symbol of elitism, was abolished in 1969 by the previous Left Front government. However, the governing Trinamool Congress’s proposal to resurrect it, which was included in the party’s pre-election promises, is expected to face opposition in Delhi.
Only with the approval of the Union cabinet can the state assembly’s upper house be established. The suggestion will be sent to the Union Home Ministry for consideration.
If it is shot down, it would cause problems for Mamata Banerjee, who lost the poll in Nandigram to the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari and is currently without a seat in the legislature. Within six months, the Chief Minister must win an election, which will take place in October.
However, considering the criticism leveled at the Election Commission following the second Covid spike, it’s unclear whether a by-election will be placed inside that time frame.
If the by-polls are postponed, Mamata Banerjee might be nominated to the upper body of the state assembly.
Amit Mitra, the finance minister, did not run in the assembly elections. In Bengal, where a massive nine-phase election was held in March-April, seven assembly seats are currently vacant.
