Parliament Monsoon Session Likely From July 20; Women’s Quota, Delimitation Bills on Agenda

The Monsoon Session of Parliament is likely to commence on July 20 and continue until August 13, with the government expected to schedule 19 sittings over the four-week period, according to sources.

The session is expected to be packed with key legislative business, including the reintroduction of the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill on women’s reservation and delimitation. Sources said the revised legislation may propose a 50% increase in the strength of the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

The Centre is also expected to move forward with the One Nation, One Election proposal after securing an extension for the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the Bill. Amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) are also likely to be introduced.

Other important legislations that could be taken up include the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, anti-doping reforms, a Bill to increase the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges, corporate law amendments and the proposed Securities Market Code.

Opposition gears up for confrontation

The Opposition is expected to mount a strong attack on the government over a host of issues during the session. These include concerns over the deficient monsoon and its impact, drought and flood situations in different states, the NEET paper leak controversy, the alleged theft of offerings at the Ram Temple, rising fuel prices, inflation and unemployment.

The INDIA bloc is also likely to question the government over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and allege its role in triggering splits within regional political parties.

New political alignments to reshape Parliament

The upcoming session will also be the first after a series of political realignments that have significantly altered the composition of the Lok Sabha, resulting in fresh seating arrangements and new parliamentary equations.

Ahead of the session, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is expected to decide on the proposed merger of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs with the Nationalist Congress Party of India (NCPI). He is also likely to rule on the merger of six MPs from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Another major political shift has emerged in Tamil Nadu following the split between the DMK and the Congress after the latter entered into an alliance with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The DMK has reportedly requested the Speaker to allot its MPs seats separate from the Congress benches.

If these mergers receive approval, they are expected to further bolster the NDA’s strength in the Lok Sabha while weakening the INDIA bloc, which could lose 20 Trinamool Congress MPs, six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs and 22 DMK MPs from its existing tally.

With a packed legislative agenda and an emboldened Opposition preparing to raise several contentious issues, the Monsoon Session is expected to witness intense debates and frequent political confrontations.