Parliament Sets Record With 88-Day Delay In Prorogation; Congress Accuses Modi Government Of Pushing Delimitation Bills

Parliament's Monsoon Session has remained formally open for a record 88 days, with the Congress accusing the Modi government of keeping it unprorogued to secure support for controversial delimitation Bills.

Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die on August 13, but neither House had been formally prorogued as of November 9. The delay has surpassed the previous record of 87 days set in 2008.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh alleged on Monday that the government was deliberately prolonging the session to give Union Home Minister Amit Shah time to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha for the proposed delimitation legislation.

In a post on X, Ramesh accused the government of trying to manipulate parliamentary numbers to pass what he described as "dangerous and destructive" delimitation Bills.

He alleged that the delay was intended to help the government revive legislation that failed to secure the required support during a special sitting of Parliament on April 17, 2026.

Why Has Parliament Not Been Prorogued?

The Congress questioned the government's decision to keep the Monsoon Session open despite both Houses having been adjourned indefinitely nearly three months ago.

Ramesh referred to the eighth edition of Practice and Procedure of Parliament, commonly known as Kaul and Shakdher, published in 2024. He pointed out that the book states that the gap between adjournment sine die and prorogation is generally two to four days.

He also cited a footnote mentioning that the longest gap had been 28 days during the 2015 Monsoon Session.

However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had written to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on October 19, referring to the 87-day gap recorded in 2008.

Ramesh questioned why the 2008 instance was not mentioned in the parliamentary reference book. He said that the extended period in 2008 had resulted from a consensus among political parties under exceptional circumstances.

He maintained that the current delay was different and alleged that the government was keeping the session open to pursue its delimitation agenda.

Congress Says Kharge Wrote To PM Four Times

The Congress also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring repeated requests for discussions on delimitation.

Ramesh said Kharge had written to the Prime Minister four times over the past six months, seeking an all-party meeting to discuss the proposed changes transparently before any legislation was introduced.

According to the Congress, the government has not agreed to the demand.

The party has also warned that delimitation could significantly affect political representation across states, particularly if the allocation of parliamentary seats is linked to population figures.

How Is The Delay Linked To Delimitation?

The government's decision not to prorogue Parliament has fuelled speculation that it could reconvene the existing Monsoon Session at short notice to consider constitutional amendments linked to delimitation and the implementation of women's reservation.

The proposed legislative package includes the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026.

The measures seek to facilitate the reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies through delimitation of constituencies.

However, a similar constitutional amendment failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha during a special sitting on April 17. The two related Bills were consequently not taken forward.

The Congress has alleged that the government is attempting to revive the legislation by securing the numbers needed for its passage.

What Does Keeping Parliament Unprorogued Mean?

Adjournment sine die and prorogation are two different parliamentary procedures.

When a House is adjourned sine die, its sitting ends without a date being fixed for the next meeting. However, the parliamentary session itself remains open until it is formally prorogued by the President.

Under Article 85(2) of the Constitution, the President has the power to prorogue either House of Parliament.

Keeping the existing session open also allows the government to reconvene Parliament more quickly. An extended sitting within the same session requires a minimum notice of two days, compared with at least 14 days for a fresh session.

The Constitution does not prescribe a specific deadline for proroguing a House after it has been adjourned sine die. Therefore, the prolonged gap does not, by itself, amount to a constitutional or procedural violation.

With the 88-day mark now surpassing the previous record, the political dispute over the government's intentions and the proposed delimitation exercise is likely to remain a major point of contention ahead of the Winter Session.