Governor has no authority to summon officers to discuss pending Bills: Bengal minister
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Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay said the governor does not have any authority to summon officers to discuss pending Bills.
Chattopadhyay's statement on Thursday came after Governor C.V. Ananda Bose said he has sought meetings with officers of different departments before approving some Bills that are pending with him.
"The Constitution clearly states that the governor does not have the power to indefinitely hold back Bills. If there are legal concerns with a Bill, the governor may write to the government. But nowhere does the Constitution say he can summon officials or hold discussions. I have read the Constitution many times," the minister said.
Following a Supreme Court verdict on the matter, Speaker Biman Banerjee said 23 Bills passed by the West Bengal Assembly since 2016 have not received the governor's assent.
In a major victory for the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, the apex court on Tuesday cleared 10 Bills that were stalled and reserved by Governor R.N. Ravi for the President's consideration, and also set a timeline for all governors to act on the Bills passed by state assemblies.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin hailed the verdict as a "victory for all Indian states".
Echoing similar sentiments, Speaker Banerjee hoped that the West Bengal governor would follow suit.
In a statement, the Raj Bhavan said the governor had sent 11 Bills -- 10 related to state universities and the Aparajita Bill -- for consideration by the President between 2024 and 2025.
The Raj Bhavan also said that it has sought additional information from the state government on several other Bills, and claimed that appropriate responses have not been received.
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Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance announcement for civic polls likely next week
Mumbai (PTI): The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are likely to announce next week their alliance for the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra, with seat-sharing for all the civic bodies, except Mumbai, almost complete, leaders of both the parties said.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the all-important Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held on January 15, and the counting of votes will take place the next day.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS will forge an alliance for the polls in municipal corporations of Mumbai, Thane, Mira-Bhayandar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune and Nashik, among others.
The Sena (UBT) is headed by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, while his once-estranged cousin Raj is the president of the MNS.
"Talks for all civic bodies, except Mumbai, are complete. The sticking point is about the seats that we are demanding in Marathi-dominated areas. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is not still not agreeing to it which has delayed the seat-sharing. But the talks have to be over soon since the date of filing nominations starts next week (December 23 to December 30)," an MNS leader said.
Talking to reporters, MNS leader and former MLA Nitin Sardesai said, "It is appropriate to say that the talks are in final stages but it is difficult to say when it will be officially announced. I can only say that all sides are putting efforts to complete the talks and they are working towards it."
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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab met Raj Thackeray to discuss seat-sharing.
A Sena (UBT) leader said talks are in final stages and there is no hurdle in the seat-sharing agreement.
"The two brothers are expected to officially announce the alliance between the two parties on Monday in a public event or through a press conference that will set the tone for the civic body polls," he said.
Raj Thackeray quit the undivided Shiv Sena blaming Uddhav for his exit in 2005 and floated the MNS in 2006. They had been political rivals since then.
However, after the drubbing of their parties in the Maharashtra assembly polls in 2024 - the Sena (UBT) won 20 seats, while MNS drew a blank - both leaders decided to put behind their political acrimony and find a common ground for survival.
Over the past few months, the two cousins shared the stage or were spotted at public forums together multiple times for various reasons.
The cousins publicly ended their two-decade-long estrangement in July, where they addressed a joint rally. At the event, Uddhav said they have come together to stay together.
