View source for West Bengal Legislative Assembly

{{Short description|Indian political body}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox legislature
 | name               = West Bengal Legislative Assembly
 | native_name        = পশ্চিমবঙ্গ বিধানসভা
 | native_name_lang   = bn
 | legislature        = [[17th West Bengal Assembly]]
 | coa_pic            = [[File:Crest of West Bengal Legislative Assembly.jpg|120px]]
 | house_type         = [[Unicameral]]
 |term_limits         = [[List of political term limits#India|5 years]]
 | leader1_type       = [[Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly|Speaker]]
 | leader1            = [[Biman Banerjee]]
 | party1             = [[Trinamool Congress|AITC]]
 | election1          = [[2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|30 May 2011]]
 | leader2_type       = [[Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly|Deputy Speaker]]
 | leader2            = [[Asish Banerjee]]
 | party2             = [[Trinamool Congress|AITC]]
 | election2          = [[2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|2 July 2021]]
 | leader3_type       = Leader of the House <br /> ([[List of Chief Ministers of West Bengal|Chief Minister]])
 | leader3            = [[Mamata Banerjee]]
 | party3             = [[Trinamool Congress|AITC]]
 | election3          = [[2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|20 May 2011]]| leader4_type       = Deputy Leader of the House
 | leader4            = [[Sovandeb Chattopadhyay]]
 | party4             = [[Trinamool Congress|AITC]] 
 | election4          = 5 August 2022 
 | leader5_type       = [[Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly|Leader of the Opposition]]
 | leader5            = [[Suvendu Adhikari]]
 |party5              = [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]]
 | election5          = [[2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|10 May 2021]]
 |leader6_type        = Deputy Leader of the Opposition
 |leader6             = [[Mihir Goswami]]
 |party6              = [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]] (since 10 May 2021)
 | members            = '''294'''
 | structure1         = Bharat West Bengal Vidhan Sabha 2025.svg
 | structure1_res     = 300px
 | political_groups1  = <!-- Do not make changes to Party totals without making corresponding changes under section 'Members of Legislative Assembly' -->
'''[[Government of West Bengal|Government]] (227)'''
:*{{Color box|#20C646}} [[Trinamool Congress|AITC]] (225)
:*{{Color box|#FFEF03}} [[Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha|BGPM]] (1)
:*{{Color box|#B2B2B2}} [[Independent politician|IND]] (1)
'''[[Official Opposition (India)|Official Opposition]] (65)'''
:*{{Color box|#FF9933}} [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]] (65)
'''[[Parliamentary Opposition|Other Opposition]] (1)'''
:*{{Color box|#000180}} [[Indian Secular Front|ISF]] (1)
'''Vacant (1)'''
:*{{Color box|#FFFFFF}} Vacant (1)<ref>{{cite web|date=2025-02-02|title=Veteran TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed dies of cardiac arrest in West Bengal|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/veteran-tmc-mla-nasiruddin-ahmed-dies-of-cardiac-arrest-in-west-bengal/articleshow/117852069.cms|access-date=2025-02-02|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>
<!-- Do not make changes to Party totals without making corresponding changes under section 'Members of Legislative Assembly' -->
 | voting_system1     = [[First-past-the-post voting|First past the post]]
 | last_election1     = [[2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|27 March to 29 April 2021]]
 | next_election1     = [[Next West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|2026]]
 | session_room       = West Bengal State Legislative Assembly House, Kolkata.jpg
 | session_res        = 
 | meeting_place      = Vidhan Sabha, [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]]
 | website            = {{url|http://www.wbassembly.gov.in}}
 | footnotes          = The Assembly was established in 1862 for the [[Bengal Presidency]]. The Presidency became the state of [[West Bengal]] in the [[Republic of India]] in 1950; the state of West Bengal in its current state was formed on 1 May 1960.
}}

The '''West Bengal Legislative Assembly''' ('''পশ্চিমবঙ্গ বিধানসভা)''' is the [[unicameral]] legislature of the [[India]]n [[states and territories of India|state]] of [[West Bengal]]. It is located in the [[B. B. D. Bagh]] area of [[Kolkata]], the capital of the state. Members of the Legislative assembly are directly elected by the people. The legislative assembly comprises [[List of constituencies of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly|294]] [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Members of Legislative Assembly]], all directly elected from single-seat constituencies. Its term is five years, unless sooner dissolved.

==History==
[[File:Complete view of West Bengal Assembly building in Kolkata 04.jpg|thumb|left|Complete view of West Bengal Assembly building]]
[[File:West Bengal Legislative Assembly Entrance - Kolkata 2011-12-18 0339.JPG|thumb|left|Entrance of West Bengal Legislative Assembly]]

The history of the West Bengal Legislature can be traced back to 18 January 1862 when under the [[Indian Councils Act 1861]], a 12 Member Legislative Council for [[Bengal Presidency]] was established by the Governor-General of British India with the Lt. Governor of Bengal and some nominated members. The strength of the council was gradually enlarged by subsequent acts. Under the [[Indian Councils Act 1892]], the maximum strength of the council was raised to 20 out of which seven were to be elected. The [[Indian Councils Act 1909]] further raised the number of members of the council to 50. Under the [[Government of India Act 1919]], the number of members of the Legislative Council was once again raised to 125. The Bengal Legislative Council constituted under the act of 1919 was formally inaugurated on 1 February 1921 by the [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|Duke of Connaught]].

A few years later, under the provisions of the [[Government of India Act 1935]], two chambers of the Bengal Provincial Legislature: the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly, were created. The life of the assembly, consisting of 250 members, was to be five years unless dissolved sooner; while the council, with a membership of not less than 63 and not more than 65, was made a permanent body and not subject to dissolution with the provision that one-third of the members should retire every three years.

On the eve of Independence in 1947, Bengal Province was partitioned into [[West Bengal]] and [[East Bengal]] ([[East Pakistan]]). The West Bengal Legislative Assembly was constituted with 90 members representing the constituencies that fell within the area of West Bengal and two nominated members from [[Anglo-Indian]] community. The Bengal Legislative Council stood abolished.  The Legislative Assembly met for the first time after Independence on 21 November 1947.

The Constitution of India again provided for a bicameral Legislature for West Bengal. Accordingly, the West Bengal Legislative Council consisting of 51 members was constituted on 5 June 1952. The number of members in the Legislative Assembly was 240 including two nominated members from the Anglo-Indian Community. After the first General Elections, the new Assembly met for the first time on 18 June 1952.

On 21 March 1969, a resolution was passed by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly for the abolition of the Legislative Council. Subsequently, Indian Parliament passed the West Bengal Legislative Council (Abolition) Act, 1969 abolishing the Legislative Council with effect from 1 August 1969.

== Office bearers==
{{transcluded section|source=17th West Bengal Assembly}}
{{trim|{{#Section-h:17th West Bengal Assembly|Office bearers}}}}

== List of Assemblies ==
{{see also|List of chief ministers of West Bengal}}
[[File:Assembly House of West Bengal, Kolkata6.jpg|thumb|Inside the Assembly House]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Assembly
!Election Year
!Speaker
!Chief Minister
! colspan="2" |Party
!Opposition Leader
! colspan="2" |Party
|-
! colspan="9" |Legislative Assembly under the Government of India Act, 1935
|-
| rowspan="3" |Provincial Assembly
(1946–52)
| rowspan="3" |[[1946 Indian provincial elections|January 1946 election]]
|[[Bijoy Prasad Singh Roy]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Prafulla Chandra Ghosh]]
| rowspan="4" |[[Indian National Congress]]
| rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
| colspan="2" rowspan="4" |''Vacant''
| rowspan="4" |
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[Ishwar Das Jalan]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Bidhan Chandra Roy]]
|-
|Provincial Assembly (1946–52)
|[[1946 Indian provincial elections|January 1946 election]]
|-
! colspan="9" |Legislative Assembly under the Constitution of India
|-
|1st Assembly
|[[1952 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1952 election]]
|[[Saila Kumar Mukherjee]]
| rowspan="4" |[[Bidhan Chandra Roy]]
| rowspan="5" |[[Indian National Congress]]
| rowspan="5" style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
| colspan="2" |''Vacant''
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2nd Assembly
| rowspan="2" |[[1957 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1957 election]]
|[[Sankar Das Banerji]]
| rowspan="4" |[[Jyoti Basu]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Outlook India Magazine Online- Read News India, Latest News Analysis, World, Sports, Entertainment {{!}} Best Online Magazine India |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/ |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=outlookindia.com |language=en |archive-date=10 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410123959/http://www.outlookindia.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rowspan="4" |[[Communist Party of India]]
| rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{party color|Communist Party of India}}" |
|-
|Bankim Chandra Kar
|-
| rowspan="2" |3rd Assembly
| rowspan="2" |[[1962 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1962 election]]
| rowspan="2" |Keshab Chandra Basu
|-
|[[Prafulla Chandra Sen]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |4th Assembly
| rowspan="2" |[[1967 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1967 election]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Bijoy Kumar Banerjee]]
|[[Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee]]
|[[Bangla Congress]] ([[United Front (1967)|United Front]])
| style="background-color: {{party color|Bangla Congress}}" |
| rowspan="2" |[[Khagendra Nath Dasgupta]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Members of Parliament – Lok Sabha - Profile |url=http://www.refocusindia.com/member-of-parliament-lok-sabha-profile-703-Dasgupta,%20Shri%20Khagendra%C2%A0Nath |access-date=10 April 2022 |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714221603/http://www.refocusindia.com/member-of-parliament-lok-sabha-profile-703-Dasgupta,%20Shri%20Khagendra%C2%A0Nath |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |[[Indian National Congress]]
| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|-
|[[Prafulla Chandra Ghosh]]
|[[Independent (politician)|Independent]] (Progressive Democratic Front)
|style="background-color: {{party color|Independent}}" |
|-
| colspan="8" |'''''Dissolved ([[President's rule|President's Rule]])'''''
|
|-
|5th Assembly
|[[1969 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1969 election]]
|[[Bijoy Kumar Banerjee]]
|[[Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee]]
|[[Bangla Congress]] ([[Second United Front Cabinet|United Front]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Bangla Congress}}"|
|[[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=- West Bengal Legislative Assembly |url=http://wbassembly.gov.in/report.aspx |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=wbassembly.gov.in |archive-date=20 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120193626/http://wbassembly.gov.in/Error_ISE.aspx?aspxerrorpath=/report.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
|[[Indian National Congress]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|-
| colspan="9" |'''''Dissolved ([[President's rule|President's Rule]])'''''
|-
|6th Assembly
|[[1971 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1971 election]]
|Apurba Lal Majumdar
|[[Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee]]
|[[Indian National Congress]] (Democratic Coalition)
|style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|[[Jyoti Basu]]<ref name=":0" />
|[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Communist Party of India (Marxist)}}" |
|-
| colspan="9" |'''''Dissolved ([[President's rule|President's Rule]])'''''
|-
|7th Assembly
|[[1972 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1972 election]]
|Apurba Lal Majumdar
|[[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]]
|[[Indian National Congress]] (Progressive Democratic Alliance)
|style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|[[Biswanath Mukherjee (politician)|Biswanath Mukherjee]]<ref name=":0" />
|[[Communist Party of India]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Communist Party of India}}" |
|-
| colspan="9" |'''''Dissolved ([[President's rule|President's Rule]])'''''
|-
|8th Assembly
|[[1977 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1977 election]]
|[[S. A. M. Habibullah]]
| rowspan="6" |[[Jyoti Basu]]
| rowspan="8" |[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]  ([[Left Front (West Bengal)|Left Front]])
| rowspan="8" style="background-color: {{party color|Communist Party of India (Marxist)}}" |
| colspan="2" |''Vacant''
|
|-
|9th Assembly
|[[1982 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1982 election]]
| rowspan="7" |[[Hashim Abdul Halim]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Abdus Sattar (Murshidabad politician)|Abdus Sattar]]<ref name=":0" />
| rowspan="2" |[[Indian National Congress]]
| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|-
|10th Assembly
|[[1987 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1987 election]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |11th Assembly
| rowspan="2" |[[1991 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1991 election]]
| colspan="2" |''Vacant''
|
|-
|Zainal Abedin<ref name=":0" />
| rowspan="2" |[[Indian National Congress]]
| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color|Indian National Congress}}" |
|-
|12th Assembly
|[[1996 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1996 election]]
|[[Atish Chandra Sinha]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Former Leader of Opposition Atish Chanda Sinha dead |url=https://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20100304/1457561.html |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=news.webindia123.com |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531032918/https://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20100304/1457561.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|13th Assembly
|[[2001 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|2001 election]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Buddhadeb Bhattacharya]]
|[[Pankaj Kumar Banerjee]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-10-26 |title=Former opposition leader and one of the founder of Trinamool Congress Pankaj Banerjee Passes Away. – News18 Bangla |url=https://bengali.news18.com/news/kolkata/former-opposition-leader-and-one-of-the-founder-of-trinamool-congress-pankaj-banerjee-passes-away-229238.html |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=News18 Bengali |language=bn |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531092812/https://bengali.news18.com/news/kolkata/former-opposition-leader-and-one-of-the-founder-of-trinamool-congress-pankaj-banerjee-passes-away-229238.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |[[Trinamool Congress|All India Trinamool Congress]]
| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color|All India Trinamool Congress}}" |
|-
|14th Assembly
|[[2006 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|2006 election]]
|[[Partha Chatterjee (politician)|Partha Chatterjee]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Team Mamata |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110409/jsp/nation/story_13831831.jsp|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203171255/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110409/jsp/nation/story_13831831.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 February 2013}}</ref>
|-
|15th Assembly
|[[2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|2011 election]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Biman Banerjee]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Mamata Banerjee]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Trinamool Congress|All India Trinamool Congress]]
| rowspan="3" style="background-color: {{party color|All India Trinamool Congress}}" |
|[[Surjya Kanta Mishra]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-04-03 |title=Surjya Kanta Mishra: A profile |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Profile-of-Surjya-Kanta-Mishra/article60407786.ece |access-date=2022-04-10 |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=10 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410124250/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Profile-of-Surjya-Kanta-Mishra/article60407786.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>
|[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]
|bgcolor="{{party color|Communist Party of India (Marxist)}}"|
|-
|[[16th West Bengal Assembly|16th Assembly]]
|[[2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|2016 election]]
|[[Abdul Mannan (West Bengal politician)|Abdul Mannan]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Congress Abdul Mannan to be new leader of opposition in Bengal assembly |website=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Congress-Abdul-Mannan-to-be-new-leader-of-opposition-in-Bengal-assembly/articleshow/52508761.cms |access-date=10 April 2022 |archive-date=16 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816084102/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Congress-Abdul-Mannan-to-be-new-leader-of-opposition-in-Bengal-assembly/articleshow/52508761.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>
|[[Indian National Congress]]
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|-
|[[17th West Bengal Assembly|17th Assembly]]
|[[2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|2021 election]]
|[[Suvendu Adhikari]]
|[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|}

== Members of Legislative Assembly ==
{{transcluded section|source=17th West Bengal Assembly}}
{{trim|{{#Section-h:17th West Bengal Assembly|Members of Legislative Assembly}}}}

== See also ==
* [[List of by-elections to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* [https://www.loksabhaelections.in/west-bengal West Bengal Lok Sabha Election 2019 Results Website]

{{West Bengal elections}}
{{West Bengal topics}}
{{Legislatures of India}}
{{Current Indian assemblies}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:West Bengal Legislative Assembly}}
[[Category:West Bengal Legislative Assembly| ]]
[[Category:State lower houses in India]]
[[Category:Unicameral legislatures]]
[[Category:1862 establishments in India]]