The deputy chief minister of West Bengal is the deputy head of Government of West Bengal.Durga Das Basu. Introduction to the Constitution of India. 1960. 20th Edition, 2011 Reprint. pp. 241, 245. LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur. . Note: although the text talks about Indian state governments in general, it applies to the specific case of West Bengal as well. The seat is now vacant since 5 November 2000 after former deputy chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. In today's current government, there is no deputy chief minister in West Bengal.The position of deputy chief minister is not explicitly defined or mentioned in the Constitution of India. However, the Supreme Court of India has stated that the appointment of deputy chief ministers is not unconstitutional. The court has clarified that a deputy chief minister, for all practical purposes, remains a minister in the council of ministers headed by the chief minister and does not draw a higher salary or perks compared to other ministers.During the absence of the chief minister, the deputy-chief minister may chair cabinet meetings and lead the assembly majority. Various deputy chief ministers have also taken the oath of secrecy in line with the one that chief minister takes. This oath has also sparked controversies.
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No. Portrait Deputy Chief Ministers(Constituency) Party Term in office Chief Minister Term start Term end Duration Name Party 1 Jyoti Basu(Baranagar) 1 March 1967 21 November 1967 Ajoy Mukherjee 25 February 1969 16 March 1970 2 Bijoy Singh Nahar(Bowbazar) 2 April 1971 28 June 1971 3Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee 12 January 19995 November 2000Jyoti Basu
Statistics List of deputy chief ministers by length of term No.NamePartyLength of termLongest continuous termTotal years of deputy chief ministership1Buddhadeb BhattacharjeeCPI(M)1 year, 298 days1 year, 298 days2Jyoti BasuCPI(M)1 year, 19 days1 year, 283 days3Bijoy Singh NaharINC87 days87 days
Oath as the state deputy chief minister The deputy chief minister serves five years in the office. The following is the oath of the Deputy chief minister of state: Oath of Secrecy "I, [Name], do swear in the name of God / solemnly affirm that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person or persons any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as a Minister for the State of [Name of State] except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as such Minister.Benglish: "Ami, [Name], Ishwarer name shapath koritechhi / driptobhabe ghoshona koritechhi je, ami biniyomito bhabe sthapito Bharat-er Shongbidhaner proti prokrito bishwash o anugotto poshwan koribo; ami Bharat-er sharbovoumotto o akhandata rakhya koribo; ami [State Name] rajyer montri hishebe amar kortobbyo nishtha o bibek-er shathe palon koribo; ebong ami bhoy ba pokkhopat, anurag ba birag-er urdhw-e uthiya, Shongbidhan o ain onujayi shob prokarer manusher proti naybichar koribo.""Ami, [Name], Ishwarer name shapath koritechhi / driptobhabe ghoshona koritechhi je, [State Name] rajyer montri hishebe amar bibechanar jonne jaha ona hobe ba jaha amar gochor hobe, taha ami protyokkho ba porokkhobhabe konobyakti ba byaktiborgoke janatbo na ba prokash koribo na; kebolmatro montri hishebe amar kortobbyo suthubhabe paloner jonne jodi taha proyojon hoy, tobei ami taha prokash koribo."
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