Monsoon session of Parliament: Government pushes for debate on space programme amid logjam over Bihar SIR protests

Lok Sabha

After weeks of interruptions over Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Monsoon Session of Parliament will resume on Monday after a brief break but there are no signs of a thaw between the government and the Opposition with the former now listing a special discussion in Lok Sabha on India’s space programme after declining the demand for a debate on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Lok Sabha has listed a ‘Special Discussion on India’s First Astronaut Aboard the International Space Station – Critical Role of Space Programme for Viksit Bharat by 2047’ on Monday, a day after astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who was in the ISS, returned to India. The listing of the debate comes even as the I.N.D.I.A bloc is holding a ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Saturday announced that its parliamentary meeting will be held on 19 August 2025 at 9:30 AM, according to an official notification.

The meeting is scheduled to take place in the G.M.C. Balayogi Auditorium of the Parliament Library Building (PLB), and all NDA members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been requested to attend on time. The notice was issued by Dr Shiv Shakti Nath Bakshi, Office Secretary of the NDA Parliamentary Party.

On August 6, leaders of the ruling NDA had unanimously passed a resolution authorising Prime Minister Modi and BJP chief and Union Minister JP Nadda to finalise the NDA's candidate for the Vice-Presidential election, scheduled for 9 September.

Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, 74, had resigned from his post on 21 July 2025, citing health reasons. In his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu posted on the Vice-President's official X account, he wrote, "To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice-President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution."

The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the election of the Vice-President of India. If contested, the poll will be held on 9 September from 10 AM to 5 PM at the First Floor of the Parliament House.