Uttarakhand Assembly session begins in Gairsain, ₹7,412 crore supplementary budget tabled
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
The Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly convened its two-day session in Gairsain on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, with the state government scheduled to present a supplementary budget of approximately ₹7,412 crore on the opening day. The session, held at the state's summer capital, is set to cover a wide legislative agenda including eight new bills and 445 questions submitted by 31 MLAs.
Key Legislative Business
Beyond the supplementary budget, the government is set to introduce eight bills during the two-day sitting, making financial and legislative matters the dominant focus of proceedings. The 445 questions filed by legislators span issues of governance, public welfare, and constituency-level development concerns, and are expected to trigger robust exchanges between the treasury benches and the Opposition.
The House will also pause to pay tribute to former Chief Minister Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri and former Minister Heera Singh Bisht, both of whom have passed away since the last session.
Speaker Appeals for Order, Congress Absent from Advisory Meet
Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri appealed to all political parties to cooperate and ensure the smooth conduct of the session. Notably, the Indian National Congress (Congress) remained absent from the Business Advisory Committee meeting ahead of the session — a signal, observers say, of the adversarial tone the Opposition intends to adopt inside the House.
BJP Legislature Party Meets, CM Dhami Chairs Preparations
On the eve of the session, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami chaired a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party in Gairsain, attended by ministers and MLAs. Sharing details of the meeting, Dhami said, 'During this, meaningful discussions took place on the proceedings of the House, important issues related to public interest, and matters pertaining to the state's development and public welfare.'
Both ruling and Opposition parties held separate internal strategy sessions ahead of the session, deliberating on the issues they intend to raise on the floor.
Congress Set to Corner Government on Multiple Fronts
The Congress is preparing to raise issues including unemployment, inflation, law and order, and local governance concerns. The Opposition is also reportedly planning a protest around the Assembly premises to spotlight what it describes as key failures in the government's performance. This comes amid a broader pattern of Congress using Assembly sessions to amplify street-level discontent, especially on economic issues that resonate with hill communities.
Significance of the Gairsain Venue
Holding the session in Gairsain, the state's designated summer capital in the Garhwal hills, carries political and symbolic weight. Successive governments have used Gairsain sessions to signal responsiveness to the demands of hill districts, which have long sought greater administrative attention from the plains-dominated state capital Dehradun. This session is among the shorter ones in recent memory, making every agenda item and question-hour exchange more consequential. All eyes will be on whether the supplementary budget and the eight bills clear the House within the compressed two-day window.