Seven states held assembly sessions stretching for over six months in 2023 with long adjournments: Report
State assemblies met for an average of 22 days in 2023, even as in some states they held sittings after long adjournments with sessions stretching for over six months without the House being prorogued amid run-ins between state governments and governors. According to a report by think tank PRS Legislative Research, state assemblies sat for an average of 22 days in 2023, and the average duration of sittings was five hours. In 2023, seven states continued sessions for more than six months without proroguing it, and with long gaps between sittings, it said.
The Constitution mandates state legislature sessions to be held at least once every six months. Almost 62 per cent of sittings were held during the budget session.
In Delhi, the same session continued from March to December 2023, with 14 sittings. Punjab Assemby session held between March and October 2023 had 10 sittings.
Punjab had approached the Supreme Court in February 2023, stating that the governor was not summoning the Budget Session. The Court stated that the governor was bound by the advice of the state Cabinet.
Meanwhile, in Rajasthan, the assembly session in 2023 continued from January to August. In 2021 and 2022, Rajasthan had only one session, which continued from January to December.
In West Bengal, a session that began in July 2023 was not prorogued till March 2024, and the session held in February to pass the Budget did not start with the customary address by the Governor.
In Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, sessions continued for more than a
