17 days on, Parliament yet to be prorogued after end of Monsoon Session

Speculation abounds about a possible special session of Parliament to revive the Delimitation Bill, with the Monsoon Session yet to be prorogued, or formally ended, 17 days after the last meeting of the House.

On August 13, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die, bringing Parliament’s Monsoon Session to a close. However, the session is yet to end formally. It remains technically alive, allowing the government to reconvene Parliament without issuing a fresh presidential summons.

‘Suspicions of mischief’

The Congress has continued to press for clarity, questioning the unusual delay. “The continued delay in prorogation is mystifying and certainly leads to suspicions that some mischief is afoot. The Home Minister does not have a super-tainted two-thirds majority and is probably engaging in mind games of bluff and bluster,” Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh told The Hindu.

Party president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (August 27, 2026), reiterated the party’s position on delimitation and the expansion of the Lok Sabha, insisting that the existing strength of the Lower House be frozen at 543 seats for the next 15 years.

The Congress chief also sought the implementation of the legislation to reserve a third of the seats for women MPs in the 2029 Lok Sabha election. He urged Mr. Modi to hold an all-party meeting to discuss the delimitation proposals and give adequate time for political parties and State governments to study them before any legislation is brought before Parliament.

Precedents for long gap

Notwithstanding the Opposition’s questions, there are precedents for a long gap between the end of a session and its final prorogation. The Monsoon Session in 2015 was prorogued after 28 days, and in 2021, the government similarly took 20 days to formally end the session.

So far, according to sources, none of the ruling NDA’s allies have been sounded out or asked to remain in the capital for a last-minute summoning of Parliament.

During the Budget Session on April 17, a Constitution amendment Bill bringing delimitation into the plan to implement women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies was defeated in the Lok Sabha. Of the 528 MPs who voted, 298 supported it, and 230 opposed it, falling short of the 352 votes required for a two-thirds majority.