Women's quota? One nation, one poll? Speculation rife over special Parliament meet

The government has convened a special session of Parliament for five days between September 18 and 22, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Thursday.

There was no official word on the agenda of the session which will be held days after the G20 Summit in the national capital on September 9 and 10.

"Special Session of Parliament (13th Session of 17th Lok Sabha and 261st Session of Rajya Sabha) is being called from 18th to 22nd September having five sittings. Amid Amrit Kaal looking forward to having fruitful discussions and debate in Parliament," Joshi said on X.

Sources said the special session could see parliamentary operations being shifted to the new Parliament building which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28. Final touches are being given to the new Parliament building to make it ready to host sessions.

Generally, three parliamentary sessions are held in a year -- Budget, Monsoon and Winter sessions.

With the government not spelling out its agenda, speculation swirled that the government may push some showpiece bills in the run-up to some key state assembly polls followed by the all-important Lok Sabha election.

Sources, including in the ruling BJP, spoke of the possibility of bills on simultaneous general, state and local polls, something Modi has assiduously pushed, and reservation for women in directly elected legislatures like Lok Sabha and assemblies. Both are constitutional amendment bills and will require passage with the support of two-third members in both Houses.

The recent historic success of Chandrayaan-3 mission and India's goals for 'Amrit Kaal' may be part of the wider discussions during the special session. 

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the five-day session just three weeks after the end of monsoon session was aimed at managing "the news cycle" and counter the news about the ongoing meeting of INDIA parties in Mumbai and the latest revelations on Adani.

"Regardless, the JPC demand (on Adani issue) will continue to resonate inside and outside Parliament," the Congress MP added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said on 'X' that the special session called during "India's most important festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is unfortunate and goes against the Hindu sentiments. Surprised at their choice of dates."

Incidentally, the special session is being convened a day after the birthday of Modi. The BJP observes the 16-day period from Modi's birthday to Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 as 'sewa pakhwara' during which various programmes are held across the country.

The last time Parliament had met outside its three usual sessions was on the midnight of June 30, 2017, to mark the rollout of GST. However, it was a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and was not a proper session as is the case this time with both the Houses assembling.

A six-day special sitting was held in August 1997 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of India's independence.

Midnight sessions have also been held on August 9, 1992, for the 50th anniversary of 'Quit India Movement', August 14-15, 1972, to celebrate the silver jubilee of India's independence, while the first such session was on August 14-15, 1947, on the eve of India's independence.

The monsoon session of Parliament ended on August 11.