In the third week of June, the West Bengal and Tamil Nadu legislative assemblies will meet for their Budget session. The general public and political observers will be closely watching these legislative proceedings to see how the new governments address campaign promises made during elections.

In both states, roughly half of the Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) are first-time legislators. They will be stepping into the hallowed halls of legislative institutions with a history spanning a century.

Modern legislative institutions in India can trace their beginnings to the presidency towns of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. It was in these cities that the East India Company’s trade, administration, and law-making were carried out by a small council of the company’s officers, meeting in council rooms/houses. Over time, the British Parliament began to take an interest in India.

Calcutta became the seat of British administration, with the Governor General at the helm of affairs. He was advised by a four-member council, and later, a law member joined this group. The British government also set up provincial councils, but it was not until the 1919 reforms that modern national and........

© Indian Express