Winter session of Parliament likely to begin from Dec 10; Budget in Feb

There is also a view in the govt that it could follow the example of UPA 2, which in 2013-14 had combined the winter and budget sessions with a long recess in between

The Narendra Modi government is considering whether to hold a truncated winter session of Parliament and subsequently a brief session in February to present its interim Budget, or go for a combined concluding session of the current Lok Sabha.

Government sources said the winter session could begin on December 10 and end on December 23.

There is also a view in the government that it could follow the example of UPA 2, which in 2013-14 had combined the winter and budget sessions with a long recess in between. Usually, the official Budget session, if a government has completed its full five-year term, is held after the convening of the new Lok Sabha.

In 2013, the UPA 2 had held the concluding session of Parliament from December 5, 2013, to February 21, 2014 - combining the winter and interim Budget sessions. The session began on December 5, with Parliament going into a long recess on December 19, and meeting again from February 5 to 21.

In 2008-09, the UPA 1 government had held two separate sessions in its final year. The 14th Lok Sabha had a brief winter session from December 10 to December 23, 2008, but the government classified it as the extended monsoon session. Subsequently, the government held a brief interim budget session from February 12, 2009, to February 26, 2009.

The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government also held a combined concluding session of the 13th Lok Sabha from December 2, 2003, to February 26, 2004, with a long recess in between. The Vajpayee government had advanced the Lok Sabha elections by six months, from October to April-May.

The government on Tuesday appointed Narendra Singh Tomar as the successor to Ananth Kumar, who passed away on Monday, in parliamentary affairs ministry. D V Sadananda Gowda was given the additional charge of chemicals and fertilizers portfolio that Kumar was holding.