Kolkata: West Bengal Governor R N Ravi dissolved the state assembly through a notification as the election process to the state assembly concluded. The order stated that "in accordance with the constitutional provisions of Article 174(2)(b), the assembly was dissolved from Thursday." Mamata Banerjee, who is protesting the Bengal poll results, refused to resign.
Assembly Dissolution and Oath Process
The tenure of the state assembly came to an end, and, as a new set of MLAs was elected, the assembly had to be dissolved, an official said. He added that soon the newly elected MLAs would be administered their oath either by the governor or any person appointed by him, and then the assembly would be summoned by the governor. The oath of the MLAs is normally administered by the senior-most MLA, who is termed the pro-tem speaker, before the Speaker is appointed, the official explained. The new session of the assembly will begin with the governor's speech.
Election Commission Updates
With the Bengal polls over, the results being declared on May 4 except for Falta constituency in South 24 Parganas, the EC relieved special poll observer Subrata Gupta and special police observer N K Mishra. Both were issued relief letters by the EC on Thursday, said a source from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal. On Thursday, ECI also lifted the Model Code of Conduct for Bengal, except in the Falta constituency, where repolling will be conducted on May 21. The results for that will be declared on May 24.
Counting and Repolling Details
The counting of votes on May 4 was conducted for 293 of 294 assembly constituencies. The ECI decided to conduct repolling for Falta following complaints of massive electoral malpractices on the polling day. Falta went to polls on April 29, the second phase of the two-phase Bengal assembly elections. The Election Commission's decision to repoll in Falta underscores the commitment to ensuring free and fair elections in the state.
