The month-long Winter Session of Parliament, the last of the 16th Lok Sabha, is set to commence on December 11 with the Modi Government wanting to give a final push to the passage of the controversial triple talaq Bill pending in the Rajya Sabha and score a “winner” before taking on the Opposition which is working on an anti-BJP alliance across the country. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) on Tuesday night recommended convening of the Winter Session from December 11, 2018 to January 8, 2019.

The Ram temple issue is expected to echo in the Winter Session with the BJP and the Opposition launching attack against each other. The Opposition would go all out to accuse the ruling party of communalising the politics on the eve of Lok Sabha polls which are only months away.

BJP Rajya Sabha member Rakesh Sinha has said he may bring a private member Bill in the Upper House demanding the construction of the temple in Ayodhya. The BJP is hoping that the Bill may force the Opposition parties to take a stand on the sensitive issue. The Bill, if brought on the table, could also be put to vote.

The Winter Session will start on the day (December 11) when the counting of votes is to commence for five State Assemblies with the BJP seeking a repeat mandate in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The results by the evening would create a political impact on the tempo of the Winter Session with the winner sure to dominate the proceedings in next one month.

Much is at stake for the BJP and the Congress and other Opposition parties in the poll outcome of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram which may set the narrative for the general elections 2019 and could provide a definite suggestion to the political  prowess of the either side.

Triple talaq, which has been made a penal offence by the Government by way of promulgating an Ordinance, would again be tested finally on the floor of the Rajya Sabha where it has been pending after being passed in the Lok Sabha where the BJP has a thumping majority.

The Government would also want the Indian Medical Council Amendment Ordinance and the Companies Amendment Ordinance to be passed as Bills in this session.

The Winter Session will be the “last roar” of the Modi Government on the floor of Parliament with the Opposition parties likely to put a collective effort to puncture it and set their campaign agenda against the BJP.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, whose TDP has quit BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, has been touring various Opposition parties-led States to work out a common strategy against the Modi Government in the Lok Sabha poll. The Parliament session will test whether a “grand alliance Opposition parties” would speak in one voice on the floor of Parliament or would

experience disarray on the eve of final electoral battle, next year.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said the session from December 11 to January 8 would have 20 working days. This would bring down curtain on the 16th long Lok Sabha where, for the first time, the BJP had a majority on its own.

“We seek support and cooperation of all parties for the smooth functioning of Parliament during the session,” said Goel.

The session was delayed this year due to the Assembly elections in five States.

The onus of conducting Parliament session from the Government’s side would fall on Narendra Singh Tomar and Goel following the untimely demise of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar.