Rajya Sabha members Raghav Chadha and Swati Maliwal, both of whom recently switched from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have been nominated to prominent Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees for 2026-27, reconstituted with effect from 26 September 2026. Chadha has been placed on the Committee on External Affairs, while Maliwal joins the Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports.

Key Appointments and New Chairpersons

Several committee leadership positions have changed hands in this reconstitution. BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi will now head the Committee on Commerce, replacing Trinamool Congress' (TMC) Dola Sen. Sujeet Kumar of the BJP has been appointed chairman of the Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice.

NCPI's Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar will chair the Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers. Sudheer Gupta takes charge of the Committee on Railways, replacing C. M. Ramesh. Radha Mohan Singh has been named chairman of the Committee on Defence, while DMK's Tiruchi Siva will lead the Committee on Industry. Bhartruhari Mahtab will chair the Committee on Finance.

Congress Leaders Placed in Defence and Home Affairs

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been assigned to the Committee on Defence, while his sister and fellow Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra finds a place on the Committee on Home Affairs. Congress MP Pawan Khera is also on the Defence panel. Nishikant Dubey of the BJP retains the chairmanship of the Committee on Communications and Information Technology, and Sandeep Kumar Pathak has been placed on the Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs.

Continuity: Chairpersons Who Retain Their Panels

A number of existing chairs have been retained. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor remains chairman of the Committee on External Affairs. Charanjit Singh Channi continues to head the Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing. Mukul Wasnik retains the Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, and Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav remains chairman of the Committee on Health and Family Welfare.

Other retained chairs include Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Water Resources, Sanjay Kumar Jha on Transport, Tourism and Culture, Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne on Energy, Radha Mohan Das Agrawal on Home Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur on Coal, Mines and Steel, Medha Vishram Kulkarni on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change, and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

Other New Appointments

Among fresh chairmanship appointments, Shashank Mani will head the Committee on Labour, Textiles and Skill Development; Tatkare Sunil Dattatrey takes the Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas; Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy leads the Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs; and PC Mohan chairs the Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment.

Role and Mandate of the Panels

According to a Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Bulletin, the newly constituted committees will examine subjects related to their respective ministries and departments, and submit reports to both Houses of Parliament during 2026-27. These standing committees are a critical mechanism through which Parliament exercises scrutiny over the executive — covering legislation, budgetary allocations, and policy implementation across all major ministries. Notably, the reconstitution comes at a politically significant moment, with Chadha and Maliwal's placement highlighting the BJP's absorption of former AAP legislators into mainstream legislative roles.