First day of Winter session: Lok Sabha proceedings adjourned till 2 PM

New Delhi: Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 PM on Monday following protests by opposition parties demanding a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

After the House paid tributes to five departed former members and congratulated the women cricket team and other sports persons who brought laurels, the opposition started the protests pressing for their demands.

Speaker Om Birla said this was the first day of the Winter session and he expected that there should be a positive and active participation by the members in the debate and discussions.

"In democracy, it is natural to have differences. But this can be resolved through discussions. We are the biggest democracy. This is not a place for sloganeering and showing placards," he said.

Birla said the members were elected by the people with the expectations that they would fulfil people's hopes and aspirations.

"I will give you enough time within rules and regulations. But it is not good to systematically disrupt the House every time," he said.

The speaker said the Question Hour is very important and a message should go to the world that Parliament is active and functional.

"We should set a good precedent. Let the House run. House is for debate and discussions," he said.

However, the opposition members ignored the pleas and continued the protests, leading to adjournment of proceedings.

The last session was a virtual washout over demands by the opposition for a debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), then being held in Bihar.

Opposition leaders, while emerging from an all-party meeting on Sunday, said they will press for a debate on SIR.

The EC had announced SIR in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal will go to the polls in 2026. In Assam, where also polls are due in 2026, the revision of electoral rolls was announced separately. It is being called 'Special Revision'.

Nearly 51 crore electors will be covered in the massive voters' list cleanup exercise.

The primary aim of the SIR is to weed out foreign illegal migrants by checking their place of birth. The move assumes significance in the wake of a crackdown in various states on illegal migrants, including those from Bangladesh and Myanmar.