Date:24/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/24/stories/2006052405481400.htm

National

Trinamool one seat short to claim status of Opposition party

Special Correspondent

With only 29 MLAs, it now has no numbers to move a no-confidence motion

KOLKATA: The newly constituted West Bengal Assembly could well be without a Leader of the Opposition when it convenes next month. The reason: none of the opposition parties has been able to muster the number required to "have the capacity to move a no-confidence motion against the government," Speaker H.A. Halim told The Hindu here on Tuesday.

Officially, "the opposition parties are only opposition groups in the Assembly" as the two main non-Left parties — the Trinamool Congress and the Congress — do not have the required number of legislators which would give them the status of an Opposition party in the House. "The minimum number of seats for a party to be given such recognition is one tenth of the total number of seats in the House," Mr. Halim said.

In a House of 294 seats the largest opposition party would need a minimum strength of 30 for it to stake its claim for the leadership of the Opposition, according to Mr Halim. The present strength of the Trinamool is 29 while that of the Congress is 21.

Things could have turned out differently but for the death of a Trinamool MLA recently.