Winter session of Bengal Assembly to begin in Jan 2026: Speaker Bandopadhyay

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Kolkata, Dec 24 (IANS) The Winter session of the West Bengal Assembly, which was originally scheduled in December this year, will be conducted in the first half of January next year, Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay said on Wednesday.

According to the Assembly Speaker, the Winter session of the House had been delayed this time because of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state, with most legislators requesting postponement of the session because of their SIR-related engagement in their respective constituencies.

“So it has been decided that the Winter session will be conducted in the first half of January next year, when the hearing session on the claims and objections on the draft voters’ list will almost be completed. I hope the session will be conducted smoothly,” the Speaker told media persons.

Meanwhile, sources said that the Winter session of the House will have to be completed by January next year, considering that it will follow the interim budget session of the House, which will be in February this year, soon after which the dates for the crucial Assembly polls in the state will be announced.

However, during the interim budget session in February this year, only vote on accounts will be passed, and the full budget will be passed only after the formation of the new state Cabinet after upcoming Assembly elections, which will not be held before the last week of May or the first week of June next year.

As per the schedule of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the final voters’ list will be published on February 14 next year, and soon after that, the polling dates will be announced by the Commission.

Generally, the Winter session of West Bengal is conducted either in November or December every year.

On Wednesday, a flower show was conducted within the Assembly premises, with none of the 65 legislators of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attending the event.

“The flower show is conducted every year, where all are invited. I do not know why some people did not attend the event. There is nothing political about flowers,” the Speaker said.

–IANS

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RS MP Gulam Ali Khatana slams Pak, lauds security forces for counter-terror ops in J&K

New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) Rajya Sabha MP Gulam Ali Khatana on Sunday praised the Indian security forces for their relentless anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, stating that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, there is “zero tolerance” for terrorism.

Speaking to IANS in Delhi, Khatana said: “Our army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and paramilitary forces are working with utmost professionalism in the toughest terrain. It is a difficult task, but our forces are doing a commendable job.”

Referring to Pakistan’s role in fuelling terrorism, the BJP Spokesperson drew a sharp contrast between the two nations. “We have no issues with the people of Pakistan. But the Pakistani generals have, over the last 35-40 years, turned the region into a graveyard. Because of them, children have become orphans, and women have become widows,” he said.

He added that while Pakistan exports terror, India, under PM Modi, is emerging as a global development hub. “Blood and water cannot flow together. Everyone remembers what they did in Pahalgam,” Khatana remarked, referring to the pause in the Indus Waters Treaty.

Commenting on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks over the Bihar SIR (Special Investigation Report) controversy, Khatana maintained that inclusive development is at the heart of PM Modi’s vision.

“You cannot exclude a large community—be it minorities, Dalits, or backward classes— from development. They want to contribute to India’s growth through initiatives like Start-Up and Stand-Up India,” he said.

On the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, resuming tomorrow, Khatana accused the opposition of deliberately stalling proceedings.

“They don’t want the Parliament to function. They just want disruption,” he stated.

Khatana reiterated that the BJP remains focused on development, national security, and inclusive growth.

The Parliament has seen little business since the Monsoon Session commenced on July 21.

The Monsoon Session is set to continue till August 12.

–IANS

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Defeated MVA candidates filed petitions challenging Maha poll results: Prithviraj Chavan

Mumbai, Jan 25 (IANS) Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said on Saturday that about 100 defeated candidates of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Congress, Shiv Sena UBT and NCP-SP have approached the against the Assembly election outcome and filed individual petitions challenging the poll results in their respective constituencies.

“Although the Election Commission should be congratulated on National Voter’s Day, the people of Maharashtra are unwilling to extend any goodwill. The discrepancies in the voter rolls for the Assembly elections are a major issue. The Congress is fighting against the Election Commission’s partiality. As many as 100 defeated MVA candidates have filed petitions in various courts across the state,” said the former Chief Minister during a press conference along with National President of Professional Congress Praveen Chakravarty and MP Kumar Ketkar.

He further added that the country’s democracy is well-established and attracts global attention. “However, if the Election Commission exhibits bias during elections, it poses a significant threat to our democratic system,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Praveen Chakravarty, said that in a democracy, the responsibility of conducting free and fair elections lies with the autonomous Election Commission.

“However, the Commission has failed to uphold this standard during the Maharashtra Assembly elections. A significant discrepancy in the electoral rolls benefitted the BJP alliance. Within just six months after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the voter count increased by 48 lakh for the Assembly elections. Notably, between the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections—five years—the voter count increased by 32 lakh. So, how could the voter count increase by 48 lakh in just six months?” he asked.

He added that the Election Commission must provide evidence to explain this anomaly.

He further pointed out that the Election Commission claims Maharashtra has 9.7 crore voters for the Assembly elections, however, according to the Union Health Ministry, Maharashtra’s adult population above 18 years is 9.54 crore.

“This raises the question of how there is a discrepancy of 16 lakh voters. The electoral rolls show several irregularities. For instance, in the Shirdi constituency’s Loni village, 5,000 voters were registered at a single address,” he said.

He said that when Congress candidate Prabhavati Ghogare from the Shirdi constituency asked these voters for identity and residence proof, it was revealed that they were not local residents.

“A complaint was lodged with the Election Commission, but no response was received,” said Chakravarty.

He said that after the Lok Sabha elections, 20,000 to 25,000 new voters were added to each of the 132 Assembly constituencies.

“In 62 of these constituencies, the BJP-led alliance was leading during the Lok Sabha elections. However, in the Assembly elections, the alliance won 112 of these 132 constituencies. This unexplained and suspicious increase in the voter count has raised doubts,” he said.

He added that the Congress has demanded that the Election Commission release all relevant data publicly.

Chakravarty further criticised the Commission, saying that while January 25 is celebrated as National Voter’s Day, the Election Commission has turned it into a “Cheater Day.”

Meanwhile, the Congress party on Saturday held statewide protests to safeguard democracy and organised press conferences to mark National Voter’s Day.

–IANS

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Jharkhand govt official suspended for smoking in office, CM orders action

Ranchi, July 6 (IANS) A government employee in Jharkhand has been suspended after a video of him smoking a cigarette inside a government office went viral on social media.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren, taking strong exception to the incident, asserted that such indiscipline in office premises would not be tolerated under any circumstances.

“If any government employee is found violating official decorum or rules, strict action will be taken against them,” the Chief Minister warned.

The incident is of the Jagannathpur block office in West Singhbhum district, where Jagmohan Soren, a public servant (Jan Sevak), was recorded on camera casually smoking a cigarette at his desk.

K. Deoraj Hessa, a social media user, had posted on X on July 5: “In the Jagannathpur block office of West Singhbhum district, an official is smoking at the desk while preaching about love. Please take cognisance of the matter and take action as per law.”

The video, which showed Jagmohan Soren blowing smoke rings in total disregard of his surroundings, quickly drew criticism online after being shared on social media platforms. The user who posted the video clip tagged the Chief Minister, demanding immediate disciplinary action.

Responding swiftly, Chief Minister Hemant Soren directed the Deputy Commissioner of West Singhbhum district to take prompt action and submit a report on the same day.

Acting on the CM’s instructions, the district administration moved quickly. On Sunday, the Deputy Commissioner informed the Chief Minister that Jagmohan Soren had been suspended with immediate effect under Clause 9(a) of the Jharkhand Government Servant (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 2016.

In addition, the Deputy Development Commissioner has been instructed to initiate formal disciplinary proceedings against Jagmohan Soren.

This is one of the first instances in recent months where a government employee in Jharkhand has been suspended over such a matter.

–IANS

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