The West Bengal Legislative Assembly’s Budget Session will begin on February 10 with Governor C V Ananda Bose’s inaugural address, marking a return of the tradition after a one-year gap.
Last year, the Budget Session had no Governor’s speech and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators justified it by saying the session had only been reconvened after an adjournment sine die (indefinite). Uncertainties were looming over the opening speech of the Governor this time, too, since the Winter Session of the House was just adjourned sine die.
If the upcoming Budget Session was presented as a continuation of the adjourned session, the Governor’s opening speech could have been deemed technically unnecessary. However, Assembly sources noted that a formal invitation had already been sent to the Governor’s office. The West Bengal Budget will be presented on February 12 by Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya. The budget session is likely to continue until February 19.
Previously, the equation between the Raj Bhawan and the government had been quite strained. However, signs of positivity began to surface in December 2024 when the Governor conducted the swearing-in of six TMC MLAs. The ceremony occurred in the Assembly and was attended by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Speaker Biman Banerjee.
Ananda Bose was appointed as the Governor of West Bengal in November 2022. Over the past three years, he has had several confrontations with the state government. The Governor has openly criticised the functioning of the state government under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, particularly regarding the law and order situation. This criticism has provoked strong reactions from the TMC.
The relationship between Raj Bhawan and the state government reached a low point in May 2024 when a Raj Bhawan employee alleged that the Governor had sexually assaulted her. Following this, the TMC leadership, including CM Banerjee, criticised the Governor. Mamata Banerjee stated, “Women have informed me that they do not feel safe visiting Raj Bhawan due to the recent incidents reported there.” In response, the Governor approached the Calcutta High Court and filed a defamation case against Banerjee.