Bhopal, Nov 30 (NationPress) The winter session of the 16th Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly is set to commence on Monday, December 1, and will continue until December 5, marking the seventh session of the current assembly.

On Saturday, Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar led a high-level review meeting with senior officials from the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat to ensure that all preparations are in place for a smooth five-day session.

While the session spans five calendar days, the House will only conduct business on four occasions, as December 3 is designated as a non-sitting day for committee work and other legislative tasks.

The Secretariat has received an unusually high volume of notices in advance of the session, with 751 listed questions and 746 unstarred questions approved so far, bringing the total to 1,497 questions.

Additionally, members have put forth 194 calling attention notices, six adjournment motion notices, 52 zero-hour submissions, 14 private member resolutions, two notices under Rule 139 for urgent public issues discussion, and 15 petitions.

The government is also set to introduce and pass two bills during this brief session.

Speaker Tomar has instructed officials to complete all pre-session activities well in advance, which includes printing and distributing the provisional business list, updating the digital question management system, and ensuring a seamless live telecast and webcast.

He emphasized the importance of adhering to Covid-19 protocols within the House and requested that the engineering team maintain functional backup power and air conditioning systems, given the significant drop in temperature across the state capital.

As the opposition Congress prepares to challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on issues such as agricultural distress, unemployment, law and order, and alleged irregularities in recruitment exams, this short session is anticipated to be contentious, despite its brief duration.

Leaders from both parties convened separate strategy meetings on Saturday evening, suggesting that the Question Hour and calling attention motions will likely result in intense debates from the very first day.

As the historic Vidhan Sabha building in Bhopal prepares for this crucial session, attention will be on whether the ruling and opposition benches can find common ground between vigorous political debate and productive legislative work during this compressed winter session that kicks off on Monday morning.