What's in store this Parliament session?

Ahead of the Parliament special session, the government will hold a meeting with leaders of all parties on Sunday to brief them and hear their views, amid an intense buzz on whether it will have some surprise item up its sleeve during the five-day sitting.

The unusual timing of the session, which begins on Monday, 18 September, has left everyone wondering, though the standout feature on the listed agenda is a special discussion on Parliament's journey of 75 years, starting from the Samvidhan Sabha (Constituent Assembly).

The government has also listed the bill on the appointment of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners to be taken up for consideration and passage during the session. The bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha during the monsoon session.

The government enjoys the prerogative of tabling new legislation or other items that may not have been part of the listed agenda. Though there is no official word on any probable new legislation, there has been some talk about a bill to ensure quota for women in elected legislatures like the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

What has added to the anticipation around the session is the strong likelihood of Parliament being shifted to the new building which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 May.

Parliamentary staff in various departments are also set to don new uniforms in a signal from the government that the shift to the new building is likely to be marked with a fresh start in more ways than one.

The G20 summit in the national capital under India's presidency is likely to be a major talking point of the treasury benches during the session.

The new dress code with floral motif for a section of staff has already kicked up a political row, with the Congress dubbing it a "cheap tactic" to promote the ruling party's poll symbol, the lotus flower.

Announcing the session, parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi had described it as a "special session". But the government had later made it clear that this will be a regular session, the 13th session of the present Lok Sabha and 261st of the Rajya Sabha.

Usually, budget, monsoon and winter sessions of Parliament are held every year. The monsoon session was held in July-August, while the winter session is due in November-December.

The budget session has a fixed time of commencement from end-January every year. The gap between two sessions cannot be longer than six months.

As of now, the government has listed a special discussion on Parliament's journey of 75 years, starting from the Samvidhan Sabha on the first day of the session.

Besides the discussion on "Parliamentary Journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha — Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings" scheduled for 18 September, the other listed business for Lok Sabha includes The Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023, already passed by the Rajya Sabha on 3 August.

Besides, The Post Office Bill, 2023 has also been listed in the Lok Sabha business, according to an official bulletin. The bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 10 August.

The list of business is tentative and more items can be added.

On 31 August, while announcing the "special session" of Parliament, Joshi did not spell out any specific agenda. "Amid Amrit Kaal, looking forward to having fruitful discussions and debate in Parliament," he had posted on X.

Sharing the agenda for the special Parliament session on X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said it "is much ado about nothing" and all this could have waited till the Winter session in November", but added that the government could be holding "legislative grenades" up its sleeve.