The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) is to meet on Monday when it is expected to finalise the dates of the Winter Session when the Government may take up the important Constitutional Amendment Bill for Goods and Services Tax and the pending Insurance Bill.
As the Government and the Opposition gears up for the month-long Winter Session of Parliament, the long wait for the finalisation of the seating arrangement in the lok Sabha is also expected to be over next month, almost six months after the constitution of the new House.
The long wait for the finalisation of the seating arrangement in lok Sabha is expected to be over next month, almost six months after the constitution of the new House.
“We expect the arrangement to be in place before the Winter Session,” said an official at Parliament over the exercise which has dragged on following the declaration of the results of the 16th lok Sabha polls on May 16.
A meeting of the CCPA on Monday may consider a month-long Winter Session beginning November 24.
The new lok Sabha does not have a leader of the Opposition as the largest group in the Opposition side is the Congress which, however, has only 44 seats, the lowest-ever tally for a House which has got 543 members.
The seating arrangements could not be finalized as some of the parties like TMC, AIADMK and BJD did not want to sit close to the Congress party members.
The most sought-after seats inside the House are the front row ones, which are seen as being something of a status symbol among parliamentarians.
As the main Opposition party in the previous lok Sabha, BJP had five front row seats. But its strength of 114 MPs was substantially higher than what Congress has managed this time.
The front row in the semi-circular hall can accommodate 20 members, including the Deputy Speaker.
The BJP-led NDA, which has a strength of 334 members in lok Sabha, is entitled to 12 seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi occupies the corner-most seat to the right of the Speaker.
AIADMK, TMC and BJD have a total of 90 members. AIADMK has 37 MPs while BJD has 20 legislators. TMC has 33 MPs after one of its legislators passed away earlier this month.
The winter session may see the introduction of Constitutional Amendment Bill for GST is ready and as soon as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley approves it, the process for getting Cabinet approval will start. The Insurance Bill is another one that could be introduced in the Winter Session of Parliament.