NEW DELHI: As Parliament heads into 2026, expectations of a calmer, more deliberative legislative year remain muted. The experience of 2025, marked by frequent disruptions, sharp political polarisation and limited consensus between the ruling dispensation and the Opposition, offers few signals of an immediate course correction. If recent trends persist, parliamentary functioning in 2026 is likely to remain caught between essential debate and entrenched acrimony.
Throughout 2025, both Houses witnessed repeated adjournments as confrontations between the treasury benches and the Opposition, led mostly by the principal opposition Congress, dominated proceedings. From the Budget session to the Monsoon and Winter sessions, disruptions consistently outweighed substantive legislative discussion. While the government succeeded in pushing through key legislations by virtue of its numerical strength and coordination with NDA allies, the Opposition relied on protests, walkouts and procedural resistance to flag its dissent.
Several contentious issues drove the confrontations. The SIR (Special Intensive Revisions), first rolled out in Bihar and later extended to West Bengal and other states, triggered sustained protests. The Waqf Bill, amendments to welfare-related schemes such as MGNREGA, now rebranded as VB-G-RAM-G, and debates on internal security and the prolonged crisis in Manipur consumed significant parliamentary time. Even when Bills were passed, they often did so amid disorder, leaving little room for detailed scrutiny.
Against this backdrop, the Budget Session of 2026, scheduled to begin on February 1 with the presentation of the Union Budget for 2026-27, assumes particular importance. Traditionally the longest and most consequential session, it offers greater scope for debate. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget will inevitably attract sharp criticism from the Opposition, especially on inflation, unemployment and ‘fund blockages’ to Opposition-ruled states.
Expectations of a conciliatory opening are low. Economic pressures, combined with political positioning ahead of key Assembly elections in states such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, are likely to harden postures on both sides. Analysts say that the Budget’s political implications, especially for states complaining of delays or cuts in central allocations, could shape the tenor of the entire session.
Political analyst Dr RK Verma believes Parliament in 2026 is unlikely to see a dramatic improvement in decorum. “There is a fundamental lack of coordination and trust between the government and the Opposition on parliamentary functioning,” he says. In his opinion, upcoming state elections will only intensify confrontational strategies, with national issues increasingly filtered through regional political calculations.
The government’s legislative agenda also suggests that disruptions may persist. Senior officials indicate that multiple Bills are lined up for introduction in 2026, building on the aggressive legislative push seen in 2025.
The Winter Session of 2025 offered a glimpse of what may lie ahead. Though the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha logged over 92 hours each, the passage of Bills such as the VB-G-RAM-G Bill and the SHANTI (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancements of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India) Bill occurred amid protests and walkouts. The Monsoon Session, by contrast, was particularly unproductive, with business hours dipping sharply due to continuous disruptions.
Statistically, the Budget Session remains Parliament’s best-performing period. In 2025, the Lok Sabha functioned for over 160 hours and the Rajya Sabha for nearly the same duration, despite persistent noise and demonstrations. A similar pattern is expected in 2026, with more debates occurring simply because of the session’s length, even as disruptions continue to exact a heavy financial and institutional cost.
Beyond routine political sparring, 2026 could see Parliament grappling with structurally significant and potentially explosive issues. Chief among them is the proposed delimitation exercise, which carries profound implications for federal balance and political representation. Combined with debates on welfare delivery, fiscal federalism and national security, this issue is likely to deepen divisions rather than bridge them.
The Modi government, which maintains that its policies are positioning India as the world’s third-largest economy, is expected to frame the 2026–27 Budget strategically to blunt Opposition attacks. Yet, as another political analyst Dr Archana says, “The volume of pending legislation itself could become a source of friction. The more the government pushes for passage, the more resistance it is likely to face.”
Parliament in 2026 appears set to continue walking a tightrope between governance imperatives and political confrontation. While debates will occur, particularly during the Budget Session, acrimony is likely to remain the defining feature. A key challenge for India’s democracy will be whether legislative productivity can coexist with sustained political rivalry, or whether disruption will once again overshadow deliberation.