Kolkata, July 5 (UNI) West Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Friday administered the oath of office to two newly-elected Trinamool Congress MLAs at a specially convened one-day session of the Assembly, ending a month-long deadlock created by the legislators’ refusal to take oath at Raj Bhawan.

Since the bye-election results on June 4, the new members of legislative assembly -Sayantika Banerjee and Reyat Hossan Sarkar - were asking Governor CV Ananda Bose to come to Assembly and conduct their swearing-in, a request rejected by the Raj Bhawan.

According to state parliamentary affairs minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, the Speaker on Friday held a swearing-in ceremony for the two legislators, ending the month-long impasse.

The Speaker stepped in after deputy speaker Asish Banerjee, who was entrusted the job by Governor Bose, declined to administer the oath while the Speaker was present in the House, Chattopadhyay explained.

The one-day special session was called by the Speaker to take a decision on the issue.

Governor Bose had on Thursday night authorised Deputy Speaker Banerjee to conduct the swearing-in ceremony, however, the latter on Friday morning insisted that the responsibility should have been given to the Speaker.

Sarkar was elected from Bhagabangola in Murshidabad district, while Sayantika Banerjee won the Baranagar seat in North 24 Parganas district in by-elections held along with the Lok Sabha polls.

Since their election, the two MLAs had been on a dharna in the Assembly courtyard, demanding that the Governor should administer them oath of office in the Assembly.
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