Nagpur: Confusion continues to cloud the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Legislature in Nagpur, with the State Government unable to provide a definite schedule despite earlier announcements. Conflicting signals from ministers and officials have left the city, the State’s Second Capital and the traditional host of the Winter Session, waiting for clarity, a report in a local daily said.
The Government had initially declared that the Winter Session would begin on December 8, 2025, and even released a tentative schedule. However, uncertainty grew after Guardian Minister of Nagpur, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, suggested that the session might be pushed to December 16 due to the upcoming Zilla Parishad (ZP) elections. Bawankule claimed that ZP polling could be held on December 15, after which political leaders would be free to attend the session, the report added.
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The report further said that the confusion deepened when another State minister, speaking four days ago, offered yet another timeline, December 20. According to his reasoning, the ongoing Nagar Panchayat and Municipal Council elections would be followed by the announcement of ZP poll dates by the State Election Commission. The entire process, from announcement to voting, typically spans a month. If ZP polling takes place around December 18, he argued, the Winter Session could logically begin on December 20.
A senior Vidhan Bhavan official, quoted in the report, maintained that no date can be confirmed until the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meets and finalises the schedule. Despite the uncertainty, preparations are underway. Legislative Assembly Secretary Vilas Athawale recently visited Nagpur to inspect arrangements and announced that the Legislative Secretariat would start functioning in Nagpur from November 28. Officials argue that such an early shift of office operations normally indicates that the session is likely to commence as originally planned, around December 8, since the Secretariat cannot operate from Nagpur a full month before the session.
Notably, the issue of the session’s schedule was not discussed in the recent Cabinet meeting, further adding to the ambiguity.
Poll-linked delays and Supreme Court complications
Much of the uncertainty stems from the Government’s challenges in conducting local body elections within the Supreme Court’s strict guidelines. The apex court has placed a cap on reservations in local body polls and asked the State to ensure that the entire election process is completed by January 31, 2025.
This has left the Government struggling to rework reservation quotas for various communities without breaching prescribed limits. Officials admit that these constraints have complicated the planning of Zilla Parishad and Municipal Council elections, events that are directly influencing the timing of the Winter Session.
With the Election Commission expected to announce ZP poll dates soon, the Government appears to be waiting for more clarity before finalising the session schedule.
For now, all timelines, December 8, December 16, and December 20, remain speculative. Ministers are offering differing interpretations, officials refuse to commit, and the political leadership has avoided clear statements.
As one senior official summed it up: “Nothing can be said definitively until the BAC meets.”
With the city’s preparations underway but no official confirmation in sight, the Winter Session of 2025 remains suspended in uncertainty, and Nagpur waits for the final word.
