Functioning of Parliament during Monsoon Session 2026

The Monsoon Session of Parliament was held from July 20, 2026 to August 13, 2026.  Both Houses met for 19 days.  This session was marked by repeated disruptions, and several Bills were passed without any members participating in the discussion.  Disruptions also affected Question Hour, which functioned for only 1% of scheduled time in Lok Sabha and 12% in Rajya Sabha.  This note analyses the functioning of both Houses during this period.

Lok Sabha functioned for 15% of scheduled time and Rajya Sabha for 33%

Note: Day-to-day business includes laying of papers, directions from the Chair, points of order, elections to Committees, etc.

Lok Sabha functioned in the afternoon on 28^th July and up to 2 PM on the 29^th, when it discussed and passed the Public Examinations Bill, 2026.  On all other occasions, it met for just a few minutes before getting repeatedly adjourned.  Rajya Sabha worked on a few days, discussing Bills and some matters of public importance.

Eleven Bills passed; Nine Bills without any discussion in Lok Sabha

Table 1: Time taken (in HH:MM) to pass Bill and number of MPs who participated in the discussion

Note: This list excludes Finance and Appropriation Bills.

Lok Sabha passed 11 Bills, of which nine were passed without any MP (other than the Minister) speaking on it.  Two members spoke on one Bill, but it was passed in 14 minutes, including the Minister’s explanation.  Only one Bill related to preventing unfair means in public examination saw detailed discussion for nearly 11 hours, with 48 MPs taking part.

Rajya Sabha also saw limited discussion.  While several MPs spoke on most Bills, each of them was granted only limited time.  For example, 16 MPs spoke on the Bill amending the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, but the total time taken was only 50 minutes.  Each MP spoke for an average of three minutes.  Again, the only detailed discussion was on the Public Examinations Bill, in which 35 MPs participated over six-and-a-half hours.

All Bills passed were introduced in this session

Note: BS – Budget Session; MS – Monsoon Session; WS – Winter Session.

The session agenda listed two pending Bills for consideration and passing.  These are the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025, and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment (FCRA) Bill, 2026.  The Joint Parliamentary Committee’s report on the VBSA Bill, 2025 has not been presented.  The FCRA Bill, 2026 was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee during this session.  This brings the proportion of Bills referred to Committees during the 18^th Lok Sabha to 21%.  This figure was 16% during the 17^th and 28% during the 16^th Lok Sabha.

Question Hour held for nine minutes in Lok Sabha, two questions answered orally

No debates, discussions, or private members’ business taken up

Note: Data for the 18^th Lok Sabha is till Monsoon Session 2026.  * Indicates a Lok Sabha shorter than five years.  ** The 5^th Lok Sabha had a six-year term.

Lok Sabha has not had a Deputy speaker for more than seven years

• The Constitution requires Lok Sabha to elect a Deputy Speaker ‘as soon as may be’.  The 17^th Lok Sabha functioned for its entire term without a Deputy Speaker.   
• In February 2023, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the central government to respond to the delay in electing a Deputy Speaker.  The case is pending.  The 18^th Lok Sabha has not yet elected a Deputy Speaker, two years into its term.

Sources: Bulletins and Proceedings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha; Statistical Handbook, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, 2025; Websites of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha; PRS.