NEW DELHI — In a strategic scheduling shift, both Houses of Parliament will convene over the March 28–29 weekend (Saturday and Sunday). The decision, announced by the Chair on March 18, 2026, aims to recover legislative time lost due to consecutive public holidays this week.
Schedule Adjustments & Holidays
The revised calendar accounts for significant cultural and religious observances:
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Holidays: Parliament did not sit on Thursday, March 19 (Ugadi/Gudi Padwa) and Friday, March 20 (Eid-ul-Fitr/Jamat-ul-Vida).
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Compensatory Sittings: To maintain the planned 30 sittings for the Budget Session, the House will function on the upcoming weekend.
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Question Hour: Questions originally scheduled for March 19 and 20 will now be addressed on Monday, March 23. Notably, the weekend sittings on March 28 and 29 will proceed without a Question Hour to focus exclusively on government business.
Legislative Context
The second phase of the Budget Session, which began on March 9, has been marked by a heavy legislative agenda and periodic disruptions.
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Key Focus: The government is pushing to complete discussions on the Union Budget 2026-27 and the Finance Bill, 2026.
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Buzz of “Critical” Bills: There is significant speculation regarding amendments to the Women’s Reservation Act to expedite its rollout for the 2029 elections.
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Adjournment: The session is currently scheduled to conclude on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
While weekend sittings are rare, they have been utilized earlier this session—most notably on Sunday, February 1, for the presentation of the Union Budget.
