Kolkata: The West Bengal Panchayat (Second Amendment) Bill, 2026, was passed in the Assembly with a thumping majority on Saturday, with 169 votes in favour and only 13 against.
Of the 13 votes against the Bill, nine were from legislators belonging to the former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee‑led “original but minority” faction in the Trinamool Congress legislative party. Two Congress legislators, one CPI(M) legislator and one from the All India Secular Front (AISF) also opposed the Bill.
A total of 32 legislators were absent during the voting. The Bill was published in the Kolkata Gazette on July 23.
The legislation seeks to amend several provisions of the West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973, particularly to substantially curtail the bill sanction and signing authority of elected heads of the three tiers in the Panchayat system. The aim is to ensure administrative stability, uninterrupted public service delivery and smoother functioning of rural civic bodies.
Participating in the discussion, Panchayat Affairs and Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh said the Bill does not intend to curtail the constitutional powers of elected panchayat heads.
“Rather, it is aiming at curtailing the authority for corruption and commission against rural civic services. Henceforth, the elected panchayat heads will only approve any proposal. But the Bill will be cleared and sanctioned by the bureaucrats,” he said.
He added that the main objective of the new Bill is to ensure that money sanctioned for public services is spent for that purpose only.
Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay, participating in the debate, said that during the last 15 years of Mamata Banerjee‑led Trinamool regime, a hereditary panchayat system developed instead of a participatory one.
“You ruined the panchayat system. That is why the corrupt panchayat heads have stopped coming to their offices. The public service is getting hampered. The system needs to be changed, and the new Bill is intended to bring about that change,” he said.
(IANS)
