West Bengal government to set up a Legislative Council

The West Bengal government decided to set up a Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad), as per a decision taken up at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

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West Bengal had a two-House or a bicameral system of legislature till it was abolished by the United Front government in 1969. Setting up a Legislative Council was one of the promises in the TMC’s poll manifesto.

Once the Council is set up, West Bengal will become the seventh Indian state to have a bicameral system of legislature. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka are the others states that have a Legislative Council. Many other states like Assam, Rajasthan and Odisha have also been exploring such a possibility.

The size of the legislative council cannot be more than one-third of the membership of the state legislative assembly. So, there can be 98 Members of Legislative Council (MLCs) for the 294-member West Bengal Legislative Assembly members. An MLC has to be at least 30 years of age and is elected for six years. The Council has a chairman and a deputy chairman like the Rajya Sabha.