91 days since Parliament adjourned, session delay puzzles Opposition on Centre’s motives

With 91 days having passed since the Houses were adjourned, the government is yet to announce the winter session dates or prorogue the monsoon session.

The Union government is yet to announce the next session of Parliament or prorogue the monsoon session, leaving the Opposition and other parties guessing even as 91 days have passed since the Houses were adjourned sine die on August 13.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh accused the Centre of delaying prorogation to secure the two-thirds majority needed to pass the proposed constitutional amendments. (Sansad TV)

The delay has fuelled speculation that the Centre may extend the monsoon session by a few days to push through the Delimitation Bill and the Constitution Amendment Bill. With 12 days already gone in November, the government is running short of time if it wants to convene a fresh winter session.

A new session requires the President to summon Parliament, with lawmakers generally receiving at least a couple of weeks’ notice. The government, however, can extend the existing monsoon session at short notice without requiring any fresh summon from the President.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment and Delimitation

According to people aware of the details, the Union government is also keen to push ahead with its plan to pass the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill. It is not yet clear whether the government will do so during the winter session or call a special session.

“The government has reached out to several parties and we are confident that this time the government will have more than what (votes) is required to pass the bill,” said a person aware of the details.

The person did not share details of the parties the government has reached out to or the exact number of additional votes it is banking on. The bill requires 360 votes, or a two-thirds majority, for passage. There are currently three vacancies in the 543-member Lok Sabha.

The proposed amendment seeks to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to a maximum of 850 through delimitation. The bills are a prerequisite for rolling out 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.

Government Plans and Winter Session Timeline

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also preside over a meeting of the Council of Ministers scheduled for November 18. According to a person aware of the details, the government has planned an outreach to mark certain milestones and accomplishments of the last 12 years.

In the past five years, the government has announced the winter session schedule after November 15 only once — in 2022. Then parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi announced the dates on November 18. The session was scheduled from December 7 to December 29, 2022.

Last year, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju announced the winter session schedule on November 8. The session, which had only 15 working days, began on December 1 and was adjourned sine die on December 19.

Congress Criticism of the Government’s Move

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, earlier this week, alleged that the government’s decision not to prorogue Parliament was aimed at giving the Union home minister time to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha for the Delimitation Bills.

“This record (of not proroguing the House) has been set to give time to the Union Home Minister to somehow manipulate a super-tainted two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to get the dangerous and destructive Delimitation Bills passed,” Ramesh said.

“The unity and solidarity of the Opposition which defeated his diabolical designs convincingly on April 17, 2026 will prevail once again if he repeats his trademark bulldozer tactics. The Congress President has written to the PM four times in the past six months requesting that an all-party meeting on Delimitation be convened to discuss all proposals transparently and in detail BEFORE introducing any legislation. The PM has steadfastly refused to do so,” he posted on X on Monday.

Frequently Asked Questions

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