West Bengal Legislative Assembly

West Bengal Legislative Assembly Paścimabaṅga Vidhānasabhā
17th West Bengal Assembly
Type
Type	Unicameral
Term limits	5 years
History
New session started	2 May 2021
Leadership
Speaker	Biman Banerjee (AITC) since 30 May 2011
Deputy Speaker	Asish Banerjee (AITC) since 2 July 2021
Leader of the House (Chief Minister)	Mamata Banerjee (AITC) since 20 May 2011
Deputy Leader of the House	Sovandeb Chattopadhyay (AITC) since 5 August 2022
Leader of the Opposition	Suvendu Adhikari (BJP) since 10 May 2021
Deputy Leader of the Opposition	Mihir Goswami (BJP) since 10 May 2021
Structure
Seats	294
Political groups	Government (226)   AITC (224)   BGPM (1)   IND (1) Official Opposition (65)   BJP (65) Other Opposition (1)   ISF (1) Vacant (2)   Vacant (2) [1]
Length of term	5 years
Elections
Voting system	First past the post
Last election	27 March – 29 April 2021
Next election	2026
Meeting place
Vidhan Sabha, Kolkata, West Bengal
Website
West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Footnotes
The Assembly was established in 1862 for the Bengal Presidency. The Presidency became the state of West Bengal in 1950; the state of West Bengal in its current form was established on 1 May 1960.

The West Bengal Legislative Assembly (ISO: Paścimabaṅga Vidhānasabhā) is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of West Bengal^[2]. The Assembly has 294 members, who are elected directly from single-seat constituencies using the FPTP system.^[3] The Assembly meets at Vidhan Sabha Bhavan in Kolkata, the capital of the state. The Assembly is presided over by the Speaker, who is currently Biman Banerjee.^[3]

Members of the Assembly are directly elected by the people of West Bengal in elections held every five years, unless the Assembly is dissolved sooner. The current Assembly was elected in April-May 2021, with the next election set for 2026. The Assembly is an important part of the state's legislative process, dealing with issues such as state budgets, development policies, and local governance. It has the authority to legislate on issues covered by the Constitution of India's State and Concurrent Lists.

The Assembly is organised into committees that focus on specific issues such as the budget, public accounts, and legislative procedures. The Chief Minister, who leads the majority party in the Assembly, has executive authority and is the head of the state government. Mamata Banerjee of the AITC is the current Chief Minister, having taken office in May 2011.

The 2021 election was a significant political event, with the AITC winning a large majority and the BJP emerging as the main opposition party. The elections featured intense campaigning, with a strong emphasis on issues such as governance, development, and state law and order.^[3][4][5][2]