Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla reconstituted several Parliamentary Committees related to different Ministries, effective from September 26, 2026.
Did You Know?
The term for these newly reconstituted Parliamentary Committees became effective from September 26, 2026, setting the stage for a new legislative oversight period across multiple government ministries.
Who Leads the Reconstituted Financial and Administrative Panels?
BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab was appointed as the chairperson of the Committee on Finance, a panel comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 members from the Rajya Sabha. Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla appointed Congress MP Shashi Tharoor as chairperson of the Committee on External Affairs, which also includes 21 members from the lower house and 10 from the upper house.
Additional leadership roles went to BJP MP Sudhir Gupta, who will head the committee on Railways, and Lok Sabha MP Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who was appointed as chairperson of the Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers. Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi assumes the role of chairperson for the Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi will now lead the Parliamentary Committee on Commerce, replacing TMC MP Dola Sen. Ghosh Dastidar takes over the chemicals and fertilisers panel from Kirti Azad.
Which Other Key Ministries See New Committee Leadership?
BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh takes over as the chairperson of the Committee on Defence, while BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy was appointed as chairperson of the Committee on Water Resources. The Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj will be headed by Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka, and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey secured the chairpersonship of the Committee on Communications and Information Technology.
Other appointments include BJP MP Sujeet Kumar as chairperson of the personnel, public grievances, law and justice committee, replacing Brij Lal. Former Union minister Anurag Thakur was reappointed to lead the coal, mines and steel committee, and Radha Mohan Das Agarwal continues to head home affairs. Medha Vishram Kulkarni retains her role leading the committee on science and technology, environment, forests and climate change.
DMK MPs K Kanimozhi and Tiruchi Siva were reappointed to chair the food, consumer affairs and public distribution committee and the industry committee, respectively. Congress MP Mukul Wasnik remains head of the committee on education, women, children and youth, and Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav continues to lead the health and family welfare committee. From the BJP allies, Shiv Sena’s Shrirang Barne remains head of the energy committee and JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha continues to chair the transport, tourism and culture panel.
Why Did the Parliamentary Panel Reshuffle Spark Political Objections?
The All India Trinamool Congress faction backing former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee protested its exclusion from the chairpersonship of any Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees. Party leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O’Brien sent separate letters to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan on October 3, 2026. O’Brien argued that Parliament is being turned into a deep, dark chamber,
pointing out that the TMC was denied any committee chairs despite being the third-largest party in the upper house.
O’Brien stated that the TMC held committee chairmanships in 2024-25 and 2025-26, but those were removed. He noted this mirrored 2019, when the party was also the third-largest party in the Rajya Sabha and was deprived of a chair. He further noted that between 2019 and 2024, only two out of ten Bills were referred to committees for scrutiny, down from six out of ten between 2004 and 2009. He also claimed four out of ten Bills passed now are ordinances, compared to two out of ten 20 years ago.
Abhishek Banerjee objected specifically to the appointment of Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as chairperson of the Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers, stating in his letter that she faces pending disqualification petitions under the Tenth Schedule and claims affiliation with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India. Banerjee contended that appointing a member with a disputed affiliation to a committee chairmanship is contrary to parliamentary propriety.
Banerjee pointed out that the Digital Sansad website still lists 28 Lok Sabha members as belonging to the AITC, arguing that a reported association between the NCPI and the NDA does not resolve the affiliation question under the Tenth Schedule. He stated, This appointment cannot be treated as a chairmanship allotted to AITC.
Committee Terms Begin on September 26 2026
When did the terms of the reconstituted Parliamentary Committees begin?
The term of these committees became effective from September 26, 2026.
Who serves as chairperson of the Committee on Finance?
BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab serves as the chairperson of the Committee on Finance, which includes 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 members from the Rajya Sabha.
What specific objections did the Trinamool Congress raise regarding the committee reshuffle?
The TMC protested its complete exclusion from chairing any Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees in the Upper House, while Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee questioned the party affiliation and pending disqualification proceedings of Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar regarding her appointment to the chemicals and fertilizers panel.