West Bengal state assembly
| West Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
|---|---|
| 16th Assembly | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
|
Term limits
|
5 years |
| Leadership | |
|
Deputy Speaker
|
|
|
Leader of House (Chief Minister)
|
|
|
Leader of Opposition
|
|
| Structure | |
| Seats | 295 (294 elected and 1 nominated) |
 |
|
|
Political groups
|
Government (211)
Opposition (81) Vacant (2)
|
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
|
Last election
|
4 April to 5 May 2016 |
| Meeting place | |
| Kolkata, West Bengal | |
| Website | |
| http://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. | |
Government (211)
Opposition (81)
Vacant (2)
The West Bengal Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is housed in the B. B. D. Bagh area of Kolkata (Calcutta)-the capital of the state. Members of the Legislative assembly are directly elected by the people. The legislative assembly comprises 295 Members of Legislative Assembly, which include 294 members directly elected from single-seat constituencies and one nominated from the Anglo-Indian community. Its term is five years, unless sooner dissolved.
The history of the West Bengal Legislature can be traced back to 18 January 1862 when under the Indian Councils Act of 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 of 1892, the maximum strength of the Council was raised to 20 out of which seven were to be elected. The Indian Councils Act of 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 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.
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Wikipedia