The budget session of the West Bengal assembly will begin March 8 with the customary address of Governor M.K. Narayanan, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said here Friday.
Finance Minister Amit Mitra will present the budget for the fiscal 2013-14 March 11, Chatterjee said after an all-party meeting convened by Speaker Biman Banerjee in the assembly and attended among others by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The session will continue tentatively till March 21.
In a departure from tradition, the discussion on the governor's address will be taken up after the discussion and approval of the budget by March 15, in view of the approaching panchayat elections.
The exception was made so that the budget was passed before the notification for the polls was made.
"The speaker made a proposal to us in this regard so that the budget discussion was over before the panchayat polls notification," Congress leader Manas Bhuniya said.
"Five to six bills are likely to be taken up during the session," the speaker said.
Both the speaker and the chief minister appealed to leaders of various parties to help in smooth conduct of the session.
The previous session saw ugly scenes as the ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition Left Front members indulged in fisticuffs, resulting three of the legislators being injured and three others suspended from the house.
Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra, Congress legislative party leader Mohammad Sohrab and several ministers were present at the meeting.