Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Emblem of India
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| Agency overview | |
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| Jurisdiction | Government of West Bengal |
| Headquarters | Bidhan Bhavan, Bidhan Nagar |
| Minister responsible |
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| Deputy Minister responsible |
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The Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly is the title given to the presiding officer (chair) of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. The Speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, etc. The Speaker decides who may speak and has the powers to discipline members who break the procedures of the Assembly. The Speaker often also represents the body in person, as the voice of the body in ceremonial and some other situations. Many bodies also have a speaker pro tempore or deputy speaker, designated to fill in when the speaker is not available.
The current Speaker of the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha is Biman Banerjee and the current Deputy Speaker is Haider Aziz Safwi who replaced Sonali Guha, who had been Speaker since May 2011, in May 2016.
In the Vidhan Sabha, a simple majority vote in the Assembly in which all present members participate determine both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker — the presiding officers — who are also its members.
The party in power proposes the name of their candidate after its candidate after titular hearings with Leaders of other Parties who are a part of the Assembly. This ensures that the Speaker is accepted by all political Parties belonging to the Assembly. The name of the candidate determined by the party in power is usually proposed by the Chief Minister or the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. The pro-tem Speaker chairs the session in which the election for the post of the Speaker takes place.
The Deputy Speaker chairs sessions where the election takes place towards the end of a Vidhan Sabha. Once the election is over, the person who is presiding declares the chosen candidate to be Speaker of the Assembly, without latter motions being voted upon. Once the final tally of votes is declared, the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition escort the Speaker elect to the Chair. His speech, in which he thanks the Assembly, marks the start of the tenure of the new Speaker.
The Speaker of the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha has to be an MLA. The current speaker, Biman Banerjee, is the MLA from the Baruipur Paschim constituency.
To become the Speaker of the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha, a person must be a citizen of India, not less than 25 years of age. He should be mentally sound and should not be bankrupt. He should also state an affidavit that there are no criminal procedures against him.
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