Three-day Telangana Assembly winter session likely from Dec 27 or 28; seven bills to replace ordinances

Hyderabad: Telangana government is likely to convene the winter session of the Assembly from December 27 or 28.

The session is expected to last for three days.

The decision is learnt to have been taken by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, according to official sources.

An informal Cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister is scheduled to be held on December 22 at Dr. BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat, where the dates and duration of the Assembly session are expected to be finalised.

Bills to replace seven ordinances

During the session, the government plans to introduce Bills in place of the seven ordinances promulgated after the conclusion of the previous Assembly sitting. These include:

Amendments to the GHMC Act (two Bills),

An amendment to the Municipalities Act,

Amendments related to government employees’ recruitment and pay,

A Bill on the regularisation of contract and part-time employees,

The Telangana Goods and Services Tax (GST) Amendment Bill, and

An amendment to the Private Universities Act.

All these Bills are proposed to be debated and passed during the short session.

BC Reservations and Local Body Elections

A key political issue expected to dominate discussions is the implementation of 42 per cent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in ZPTC and municipal elections.

The government is considering holding a comprehensive discussion in the Assembly and seeking views from all political parties on the way forward.

Since the BC reservation issue is currently under judicial consideration, the government is weighing whether to wait for a court verdict or take a political decision and proceed with district-level elections.

Focus on cooperative bodies

In the backdrop of the recent dissolution of managing committees of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies and District Central Cooperative Banks, the informal Cabinet meeting on December 22 is also expected to deliberate on conducting elections to these cooperative bodies.

Official sources indicate that the government aims to use the upcoming Assembly session to clear key legislative business while building political consensus on sensitive issues such as reservations and local body polls.