January 28, 2026 02:00 pm (IST)
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Parliament
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju chairs pre-winter session all-party meeting. Photo: Kiren Rijiju/X

New Delhi/IBNS: The Winter Session of Parliament is expected to open on a stormy note on Monday, with the Opposition gearing up to corner the NDA government on a host of recent controversies and governance issues.

An all-party meeting was held on Sunday ahead of the session, which will run from December 1 to 19. The meeting was chaired by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, and attended by senior ministers Rajnath Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal and JP Nadda.

Opposition leaders present included Congress’ Jairam Ramesh, Trinamool Congress’ Kalyan Banerjee and Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav.

The Opposition has demanded urgent discussions on national security in the wake of the deadly Delhi blast, concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Delhi’s spiralling air pollution, farmers’ distress, threats to democratic institutions, and key foreign policy issues.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh sharply criticised the government, calling the all-party meeting “perfunctory” and flagging the unusually short 15-day duration of the session.

Ramesh posted on X that of the 13 bills listed for passage, only two have undergone scrutiny by the relevant Standing Committee, while ten are yet to be examined — raising concerns about rushed legislation on crucial areas, including atomic energy and higher education reforms.

“This session of 15 days will be the shortest in Parliamentary history… Ten Bills have not been examined by the Standing Committee concerned,” Ramesh wrote, warning that the government may introduce additional bills late in the session.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee hit out at the government for allegedly blocking discussions sought by the Opposition.
Speaking to PTI, Banerjee said:

“The TMC raised issues we had flagged earlier — SIR, MGNREGA — but these were not allowed for discussion… If Parliament functions only with the government’s consent, then what value does the opposition hold?”

Rijiju has urged all political parties to maintain decorum and focus on substantive debates during the Winter Session of Parliament.

The minister said, "The nation watches Parliament with hope, expecting seriousness, responsibility and unity of purpose. Expecting a meaningful, mature and result-oriented Winter Session that furthers our democratic journey."

SIR deadline extended

In a significant development, the Election Commission of India (ECI) extended the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by one week, with the final list now set to be published on February 14, 2026.

Under the revised schedule, the enumeration period will continue until December 11, the draft voter roll will be released on December 16, and claims and objections may be filed until January 15, 2026.

The extension follows strong objections from the Trinamool Congress, which met ECI officials last week alleging irregularities in the SIR process in poll-bound West Bengal. The revision exercise began on November 4 and is currently in its final phase across 12 states.

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