Winter Session of Parliament 2025: What to Expect This Season

Parliament’s winter session starts on 1 December 2025 amidst sharp political tensions and an overflowing legislative agenda. The ruling coalition is pushing through as many as 14 major bills, while the opposition—major parties such as Congress and DMK—wants debates on what they called “urgent national issues”.

Key Highlights of the Session Startup

The Upper House, or Rajya Sabha, will have a new Chairperson: C P Radhakrishnan, who assumed office as Vice-President and took formal charge before the commencement of the session.
Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to brief the media shortly before the formal start of the session at Hans Dwar, the Parliament House gate.

What’s on the Government’s Agenda

Among the proposed legislation:

A revised Atomic Energy Bill: This was intended to regulate atomic energy and open up the sector to private participation.
A revised edition of the Higher Education Commission of India Bill.
New duties and excise on tobacco products and pan masala, reflecting the government’s push to raise revenue from sin goods as part of fiscal planning.

What the Opposition Wants to Spotlight

The opposition are asking for debates on the floor that vary in issue, many of which are causing public anger or societal concern. Among their demands:

A full discussion on the controversial Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls and the recent wave of alleged suicides among Booth Level Officers under the pressure of SIR duties.
Examination of recent national security incidents includes the high-profile Delhi car blast.
Wider debates on labour-code laws, price rises, unemployment, environmental problems such as air pollution, and governance issues covering delays in the passage of state legislature bills.

The government has been accused by many opposition leaders of preventing parliamentary scrutiny by curtailing the session to 15 sittings instead of the usual 20—a move many describe as a part of “democratic backsliding”.

Why the Spotlight on SIR and BLO Suicides Matters

This continuous SIR, which critics say is being implemented in undue haste, has put enormous pressure on Booth Level Officers assigned the task of updating voter lists at extremely short notice under harrowing conditions. A few states have already seen a number of suicides apparently linked to this stress.

According to opposition leaders, accountability and transparency are needed now, and they want Parliament to discuss not just the SIR process but also the mental-health toll and institutional pressures behind such tragedies.

What to Watch in This Session

Will the government succeed in smoothly passing all 14 bills, particularly sensitive ones like the Atomic Energy Bill and the Education Bill, amidst stiff opposition?
Whether Parliament spotlights the SIR-BLO suicides, as demanded, or seeks to sidetrack the issue.
How the new Rajya Sabha Chair — C P Radhakrishnan — handles the mounting pressure and intense debate in the days ahead.
Any surprises in PM Modi’s media address — it could set the tone for the entire session.