Parliament's winter session to begin from December 11; government to push for triple talaq bill

Parliament’s winter session will be held between December 11 and January 8, during which the government would push for the passage of the triple talaq bill pending in the Rajya Sabha. The counting of votes for the Assembly elections in five states will also be held on December 11.

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) has recommended convening of the winter session of Parliament from December 11 to January 8, official sources told news agency PTI on Wednesday.

The CCPA, headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, met on Tuesday night at his residence, and deliberated on the dates of the session. The winter session of Parliament usually starts in November, but due to the assembly election in the five states, including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Telangana, it has been postponed. It will be the second year in a row when the Winter session will begin in December. 

This will be the last full-fledged Parliament session of the Narendra Modi-led government before the next Lok Sabha polls to be held in 2019. The results of the Assembly elections, in which both the ruling BJP and the Congress have high stakes, is bound to cast a shadow on parliamentary proceedings.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel has confirmed that the session will be held from December 11 to January 8 and added it would have 20 working days."We seek support and cooperation of all parties for the smooth functioning of Parliament during the session," he said.

Besides the triple talaq bill, the government also wants the Indian Medical Council amendment ordinance and the companies amendment ordinance to be passed as bills in this session.The triple talaq bill, which prohibits divorce of Muslim couples by pronouncing 'talaq' back-to-back thrice by their husbands, was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 28, 2017.