Upcoming Budget session of Bengal Assembly may end state govt-Raj Bhavan tussle

The ongoing tussle between the West Bengal government and Raj Bhavan is expected to end during the upcoming Budget session of the Assembly, scheduled for next month.

The state government has already sent an invitation to the office of Governor C. V. Ananda Bose, requesting him to deliver the opening speech of the Budget session on February 10.

Last year, the Assembly’s Budget session took place without the Governor’s speech.

Uncertainty had surrounded the Governor’s opening speech for this session as well, since the Winter Session of the House in late 2024 was adjourned sine die. If the upcoming Budget session were treated as a continuation of the adjourned session, the Governor’s speech could have been skipped.

However, state secretariat sources indicated that the uncertainty has been resolved with the invitation sent to the Governor’s office.

It remains unclear whether the Governor’s office will accept the invitation.

The Governor is scheduled to deliver his opening speech on February 10, and the state’s Finance Minister, Chandrima Bhattacharya, is set to present the Budget proposals for the financial year 2025-26 on February 12.

Given that this will be the last full Budget before the 2026 state Assembly elections, there may be increased allocations for various welfare and dole schemes, particularly those focused on women and youth, as well as a potential hike in dearness allowance for state government employees.

Bhattacharya will present the state budget amid the recent release of the ‘Fiscal Health Index: 2025’ report by NITI Aayog, which highlighted West Bengal’s poor performance in revenue mobilisation, expenditure quality, and debt index. Of the 18 states reviewed, West Bengal ranked 16th in the report.