Trinamool demands adjournment of Parliament Budget Session due to Assembly polls

Trinamool Congress on Monday demanded adjournment of the Parliament's Budget Session in view of the Assembly elections to the four states and one union territory, including West Bengal.

Trinamool's Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien wrote to Speaker Om Birla and Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu respectively citing that it would be "difficult" for party MPs to attend the House during the second leg of Budget Session due to the elections.

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In his letter, Bandyopadhyay said political campaigning has already started in full swing in the state and requested him to consider adjourning the Lok Sabha session.

O'Brien cited "two precedents" when the Parliament sessions were adjourned in view of upcoming polls in multiple states.

The 222nd session between February 21, 2011, and April 21, 2011, was adjourned on March 25, 2011, due to state polls in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

The 214th session which commenced on October 17, 2008, was adjourned on October 24, 2008, to meet again on December 10, 2008, due to elections. O'Brien said in his letter that the original schedule was to continue up to November 21, 2008.

Besides Bengal, the states and union territories going to Assembly polls between March 28 and April 29 are Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Most of the MPs from these states are giving a skip to the Session as they are busy campaigning in the states.

Bengal has an eight-phase poll from March 28 to April 29 while Assam has a three-phase poll between March 27 to April 6. Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will hit the polling booths on April 6 while the counting of votes in all the five states and union territory is May 2.