Law giving more power to Delhi L-G now in force

NEW DELHI: A month after Parliament passed a controversial bill giving sweeping powers to Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor (LG), the Centre on Wednesday notified a law that makes his prior opinion a must before every executive action by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government, and every legislative action by the state assembly.

An order by the LG’s office on Wednesday evening -- hours after the amended Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021 was notified -- said that matters on which his opinion will have to be obtained include those falling under any law with respect to any matter in the state or concurrent lists. It also mentioned

“subordinate legislations i.e. rules, regulations, schemes, bylaws”, and establishment, constitution or reconstitution of statutory bodies such as authorities, boards, committees, commissions, etc, under laws made by the legislative assembly.

“Matters relating to recommendations of the Delhi finance commission” and “grant of parole under the Delhi Prisons Act” were also part of the order. Matters specified under Rule 23 of the Transaction of Business of the Government of NCT were also mentioned.

Experts said all files on governance, decisions taken by the cabinet, proposed projects, welfare schemes, etc, will have to be sent to the LG first for his opinion before implementation. Whether the amendment shall

Thirty five seats across Bengal will vote in the final phase of assembly elections in West Bengal on Thursday, bringing down the curtain on a month-long poll season that began with a high stakes political battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) but was overshadowed by the surge in Covid-19 infections in the state.

Elections will be held in six seats in Malda, 11 each in Murshidabad and Birbhum and seven in Kolkata. Fresh polling will also be held at booth No 126 in the Sitalkuchi constituency of Cooch Behar district where four men were killed in firing by central armed police forces (CAPF) after the forces were allegedly attacked by locals on April 10.

In Malda, Samir Ghosh, an independent candidate from Baishnabnagar, died of Covid-19 on Monday. In Murshidabad, Pradip Kumar Nandi, the Revolutionary Socialist Party candidate from Jangipur, and Rezaul Haque, the Congress candidate from Samserganj, died earlier this month. Polls were to be held in these seats on April 26, but the Election Commission rescheduled the date to May 16.

In Kolkata, which remains a TMC bastion, winning seats is a challenge for the BJP that is looking to come to power in the state for the first time.