With the new Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the UP Legislative Assembly, 2023 coming into force, the legislators will no longer be allowed to carry mobile phones, flags, banners, posters and placards inside the Vidhan Sabha during the winter session set to start on November 28.

The Yogi Adityanath government’s commitment to prioritise women empowerment will be seen in the assembly as well. Priority will be given to women members to speak during the session.

With the winter session of the UP assembly commencing here from Tuesday, the clamour to allow members to carry their mobile phones in the House is growing.

The bar on mobile phones in the House is part of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the UP Legislative Assembly, 2023 that the state assembly adopted during the monsoon session in August this year. It also bars display of flags or any other displayable items.

For now, the state legislative assembly has not yet made any arrangements for safe deposit of mobile phones outside the Vidhan Sabha.

UP Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana asserted, “The new rule book of the House will be enforced now and the winter session of the House will be conducted under the provisions of the new rules. The new rules bar the members from carrying mobile phones inside the House.”

Those aware of the development pointed out that the new rules have been introduced to enforce discipline in the House. Earlier this year, a Samajwadi Party MLA was found making live telecast of House proceedings on Facebook, inviting the ire of Speaker Satish Mahana, who asked the legislator to leave the House immediately.

An official of the assembly secretariat said a member also used the computer tablet, which is fixed on seats of all the lawmakers, to play cards or video games and such activities may create a bad impression about the state legislature.

The members, mainly from the opposition, display flags, banners and placards carrying slogans to register their protest during the proceedings of the house.

Justifying the demand to allow the members to carry their mobile phones in the House, SP chief whip Manoj Kumar Pandey said, “We put our mobile phones in silent mode inside the House. We will request the speaker to allow the mobiles to be in silent mode. We, as members of the House, cannot afford to disconnect from the people of our constituency.”

He added, “If any person in our constituency needs immediate attention or admission to a hospital, we have to help him or her. We will request the speaker to either allow mobile phones inside the House or provide a private secretary to attend to the mobile phone when the House is in session. Such a private secretary should be allowed to enter the House to inform the members about any urgent calls.”

Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra said mobile phones were not allowed inside the House earlier too.

“We will, however, request the speaker to allow mobile phones in the House subject to some restrictions. This is needed as a public representative must remain accessible to the people in case of any emergency,” Mishra said.

Other rules incorporated in the new rule book bar the members from smoking, tearing any document and talking loudly in the lobbies of the House. No member is expected to stand or sit showing his back to the speaker. The members are expected not to go to the speaker (chair) themselves. They, if necessary, will be able to send a slip to the speaker through an officer of the House.

The new rule book has been framed after nearly 65 years to incorporate the technical changes. Change has been necessitated following the use of electronic devices to implement the National e-Vidhan Application to make proceedings of the House paperless. When the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the UP Legislative Assembly were framed in 1958, there was no television in India. UP assembly has been telecasting its proceedings live for some years now.

The first day of the winter session of UP legislature will begin with messages of condolences for the current and former members of the House who have passed away.

On November 29, official proceedings in the session will commence in the first half, including the tabling of ordinances, notifications, rules, etc. Simultaneously, the introduction of bills will also take place.

After 12:30 pm, the presentation of demands for supplementary grants for the financial year 2023-24 and other legislative tasks will be undertaken.

Moreover, supplementary grants for the financial year 2023-24 will be discussed on November 30, the third day of the session. There will be consideration and voting on the demands of the members.

Additionally, the Appropriation Bill will be introduced with the permission of the House. Alongside this, other legislative tasks will be addressed. On the last day of the winter session on December 1, legislative activities will be concluded.