NEW DELHI : Although Parliament’s Monsoon Session was adjourned sine die on August 13, it has not been formally prorogued more than a month later. The “unusual” procedural delay has sparked political debate and speculation about a “special session” to clear legislative business that is politically important to the Narendra Modi government.
The buzz in political corridors is that the government is mulling a three-day special session of Parliament later this month to pass bills related to delimitation and women’s reservation—the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, which provides the framework for redrawing parliamentary constituencies.
According to sources, the Centre has reached out to NDA leaders as well as Opposition parties over the proposal for a special session before the festive season, though there is no official word on it
Prorogation implies the end of a session.
In India, Parliament is formally prorogued by the President.
In practice, the President exercises this power on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister.
While proroguing Parliament is the prerogative of the Union government, the delay has been questioned by Opposition parties, which have alleged that the Modi government is looking to shore up its numbers and reintroduce its contentious Delimitation Bill, which was defeated in April during a special session.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh recently said that the NDA government has broken its previous record for the longest delay in proroguing both Houses.
Sources said the BJP’s decision to send the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) Amendment Bill, 2026, to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) during the washed-out Monsoon Session was an effort to woo Opposition parties such as the DMK and the NCP (Sharad Pawar), which were opposed to the legislation in its current form but appear to favour the delimitation exercise with conditions.
In fact the success of the Modi government’s plans depend on two regional Opposition parties—the NCP (Sharad Pawar) and the M.K. Stalin-led DMK. The BJP is said to have already secured the support of the DMK’s 22 Lok Sabha MPs and the NCP’s eight MPs. Therefore, if they support the government, or abstain during voting on the delimitation legislation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s task could become significantly easier.
Constitutional amendments require the support of two-thirds of the members present and voting.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, was introduced in April to facilitate the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies through early delimitation based on the 2011 Census.
The Bill, however, failed to clear the Lok Sabha after falling short of the required two-thirds majority.
