Ahead of the upcoming Special Parliament Session, the Government has scheduled a meeting with the floor leaders of all parties on Sunday. The purpose is to brief them and listen to their perspectives, as Opposition parties are concerned about the possibility that the Government may introduce a new agenda, catching them by surprise.

The “tentative agenda” for the five-day Special Session of Parliament starting on September 18 was unveiled on Wednesday night, with the Government listing a discussion on the Parliamentary journey of the past 75 years and the passage of five Bills in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, which includes the controversial Bill on the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and other Commissioners that was introduced in the Rajya Sabha during the last Monsoon session.

The Special Session, which is unusual in its timing, is likely to see the proceedings of Parliament move from the old building to the new one. Speculation is rife that the Session may deliberate on issues ranging from “One Nation, One Election”, changing the country’s name to “Bharat” from India, the women’s reservation issue, Uniform Civil Code, to announcing the date of the Lok Sabha polls.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier claimed that the Government might advance the Lok Sabha polls and they may be held concurrently with elections to five State Assemblies, including those of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. On “One Nation, One Election”, the Government has already set up a committee with former President Ram Nath Kovind at its head to examine simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, legislative Assemblies, and panchayats.

The Opposition has alleged that the Government may have a hidden agenda in the Special Session, as the issues announced have been described as “tentative”. Both the BJP and the Congress have issued a whip to their MPs. The Government has the prerogative to table in Parliament some new legislation or other items that might not have been part of the listed agenda.

Although there is no official word on any probable new legislation, there has been some talk about a Bill to ensure a quota for women in elected legislatures like the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.

What has added to the anticipation around the Session is the strong likelihood of Parliament being shifted to the new building inaugurated on May 28.

Various departments of parliamentary staff are all set to don new uniforms in a signal from the Government that shifting to the new building is likely to be marked with a fresh start in more ways than one.