Parliament's Monsoon session unprorogued for 88 days, breaks 2008 record

Parliament's Monsoon session has remained unprorogued for 88 days since both Houses were adjourned indefinitely on August 13, breaking the previous record of 87 days in 2008. As of Monday morning, neither the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha had been formally prorogued, keeping open the possibility of convening an extended sitting of the existing session. The government's decision not to prorogue (formally end) the Monsoon session has kept alive speculation about the possibility of convening Parliament at short notice to consider the proposed constitutional amendment linked to the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill, which seeks to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 seats to a maximum of 850 through delimitation. An extended or special sitting of Parliament within the same session requires a minimum notice of two days, whereas convening a fresh session requires at least 14 days' notice. This has added significance as a similar Constitution Amendment Bill had ..