The Haryana Vidhan Sabha is set to reconvene for its Winter Session on November 13, marking the second sitting of the newly constituted 15th Assembly. The brief session, expected to last two to three days, may become a heated platform as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reportedly seeks to pass five key ordinances ahead of the upcoming state elections, while the opposition Congress is likely to raise pressing issues faced by farmers.
The session will begin with an address by Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and will run either until November 14 or extend to November 18, depending on the decision of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC). The assembly’s duration will be finalized in a BAC meeting, which typically includes the Speaker, Chief Minister, senior ministers, and the Leader of Opposition. However, the Congress is yet to appoint its Leader of Opposition for the current term, raising questions about representation in the committee.
Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan announced that the session would commence at 11 a.m. on November 13. He encouraged all MLAs to come prepared for the discussions, as the proceedings are expected to cover significant legislative business. The assembly had initially convened on October 25 for the swearing-in of MLAs and the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker before being adjourned indefinitely. Ahead of the assembly session, the Haryana government has reportedly issued five ordinances, which it aims to formalise as laws. Among these, the most notable is an ordinance providing job security to contractual employees, ensuring continued employment up to the age of 58 for over 150,000 personnel working across various state departments. This ordinance aims to address concerns raised by contractual workers demanding greater employment security.
Other ordinances include three significant amendments to grant reservation benefits to members of the Backward Class Block B in urban local bodies (municipal corporations, councils, and committees) and Panchayati Raj Institutions. The fifth ordinance amends the Haryana Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act, 1961, granting ownership rights to individuals who have occupied village common lands (shamlat) for over 20 years. The opposition is anticipated to confront the BJP on several contentious issues, particularly those impacting farmers. Key concerns likely to be raised include the ongoing shortage of DAP fertilizers and procurement challenges in agricultural mandis, issues that have seen mounting discontent among farmers across the state.
This pushback could lead to intense debates on the assembly floor as both sides prepare for the upcoming elections.
However, if it extends to three days, the session will break after two consecutive sittings on November 13 and 14, resuming on November 18 due to holidays in between (Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 15 and the weekend on November 16-17).
While the BAC typically includes the Leader of Opposition, but it is not mandatory for the BAC to have a designated Leader of Opposition. If necessary, another representative from the opposition party can be appointed to ensure their presence in the committee.
