Kolkata, 17 December (H.S.) : The winter session of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly is unlikely to be held this year, with time constraints, election-related preparations and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls significantly affecting legislative business.

According to Assembly sources, with the announcement of the winter recess imminent, there is hardly sufficient time left to convene a session. As a result, making the necessary arrangements for what could have been the final sitting before the elections does not appear feasible.

The situation has become more complicated following the Election Commission’s release of the first revised draft electoral roll after the Special Intensive Revision process. Since then, political parties and legislators have been fully engaged in matters related to voter verification, directly impacting the functioning of the Assembly.

Sources in the Assembly secretariat said that with the Christmas holidays approaching, convening the winter session in December has become practically impossible. During the same period, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to inaugurate Christmas celebrations at Allen Park on Thursday, further adding to administrative and political engagements.

Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee has declined to comment on the issue. However, senior Assembly officials said a session can be convened only if the state government proposes official legislative business.

A senior official explained that if the government forwards any business, the Speaker is constitutionally bound to convene a session, but no such communication has been received so far. He added that legislators across party lines are currently heavily occupied with the Special Intensive Revision process.

Sources further indicated that several MLAs have requested that no session be called at this time. Legislators from North Bengal, in particular, pointed out that attending a session would involve nearly three days of travel, leaving them unable to either participate effectively in Assembly proceedings or attend to voter list-related work.

It may be noted that the last Assembly sitting was a three-day special session held in September. While a section of the secretariat believes a short session could be convened in January next year, another section feels that this too may not be practical.

With Assembly elections due next year, the state government is expected to convene an interim Budget session in February. Against this backdrop, uncertainty continues over whether any window will be available to hold a winter session in January.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh