Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday sprang a surprise by announcing a special session of Parliament from September 18-22, reviving speculation of early Lok Sabha elections. The special session will be held about one-and-a-half months before the winter session of Parliament is due, which usually is in November.
Union Parliamentary minister Pralhad Joshi made the announcement through a post on X, adding the special session would have five sittings. It will be the first such special session ever since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014. Both Houses of Parliament would meet separately for five full days. On June 30, 2017, the government had convened a special joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to mark the midnight rollout of the GST regime.
A well placed source said the government will go into poll mode after the special session, both for the upcoming state elections and the 2024 general elections. The government could also try to test the Opposition on the principle of one nation, one election (ONOE) by introducing a bill on it during the special session. Speculation is also rife that the Modi government would bring the women’s reservation bill and the Uniform Civil Code bill, in addition to the ONOE bill.
“Since all of these bills are associated with the BJP’s poll agenda, the government may introduce them to reaffirm to its voters the party’s commitment to its poll planks,” said a BJP office bearer. With the G20 summit ending on September 10, the special session is also expected to discuss its outcome and dedicate it to the nation.
The dates for the special session coincide with the upcoming Ganpati festival, which is celebrated in a big way in Maharashtra and other states. Some Opposition MPs urged the government to reconsider the schedule. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the special session was aimed at managing “the news cycle” and countering the news about the ongoing meeting of INDIA.
Govt word on the legislative agendaThere is no clear word yet on the agenda of the special session. Speculation is also rife on whether it will take place at the new Parliament building that was inaugurated on May 28:
NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday sprang a surprise by announcing a special session of Parliament from September 18-22, reviving speculation of early Lok Sabha elections. The special session will be held about one-and-a-half months before the winter session of Parliament is due, which usually is in November.
Union Parliamentary minister Pralhad Joshi made the announcement through a post on X, adding the special session would have five sittings. It will be the first such special session ever since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014. Both Houses of Parliament would meet separately for five full days. On June 30, 2017, the government had convened a special joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to mark the midnight rollout of the GST regime.
A well placed source said the government will go into poll mode after the special session, both for the upcoming state elections and the 2024 general elections. The government could also try to test the Opposition on the principle of one nation, one election (ONOE) by introducing a bill on it during the special session. Speculation is also rife that the Modi government would bring the women’s reservation bill and the Uniform Civil Code bill, in addition to the ONOE bill.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
“Since all of these bills are associated with the BJP’s poll agenda, the government may introduce them to reaffirm to its voters the party’s commitment to its poll planks,” said a BJP office bearer. With the G20 summit ending on September 10, the special session is also expected to discuss its outcome and dedicate it to the nation.
The dates for the special session coincide with the upcoming Ganpati festival, which is celebrated in a big way in Maharashtra and other states. Some Opposition MPs urged the government to reconsider the schedule. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the special session was aimed at managing “the news cycle” and countering the news about the ongoing meeting of INDIA.
Govt word on the legislative agenda
There is no clear word yet on the agenda of the special session. Speculation is also rife on whether it will take place at the new Parliament building that was inaugurated on May 28:
