In the upcoming Monsoon Session, the political scene inside both Houses of Parliament, particularly the Lok Sabha, will look markedly different. Following the Budget Session, the seating arrangements for MPs from several political parties in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) are set to change. MPs who previously sat in the back rows or the second and third rows might be seen in the front row.
Following the West Bengal Assembly elections, the TMC has split; 20 of Mamata Banerjee’s MPs have rebelled, joined the NCPI (Nationalist Citizens Party of India), and are set to support the NDA, making them the party with the highest number of MPs supporting the NDA camp. Furthermore, they have requested the Lok Sabha Speaker to recognize them as a separate faction, a request expected to be approved before 11.00 AM on July 20.
If this happens, NCPI MPs will sit on the Treasury benches, and the rebel TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay could be seen sitting in the first row of the Treasury benches, in a central position. This means they will be seated to the right of the Lok Sabha Speaker’s chair. According to sources, Sudip Bandyopadhyay could be officially elected as Leader of the House and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as Chief Whip during the NCPI meeting scheduled on July 19.
Meanwhile, six MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT) have broken away to join Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. The Shinde faction now has a total of 13 MPs. Consequently, it has become the fourth-largest party within the NDA in terms of Lok Sabha MPs; these six MPs received approval from Speaker Om Birla on Saturday and will be seen sitting alongside the ruling party.
Following the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results, the DMK has distanced itself from the I.N.D.I.A bloc and expressed a desire to sit separately from the Congress. Currently, DMK leader T.R. Baalu sits in the front row alongside Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and K.C. Venugopal; if their request for separate seating is accepted, he may be seen occupying a different seat in the front row of the opposition benches.
All MPs from the Congress and the Samajwadi Party will be seen sitting on the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) benches—to the left of Speaker Om Birla’s chair. Meanwhile, as the number of MPs from Mamata Banerjee’s faction has dropped significantly to just eight, changes in their seating arrangement are likely; they might be relegated to the back benches on the LoP side, or the seating locations of specific MPs could be altered.
The scene in the Rajya Sabha will also look different compared to the Lok Sabha. Seven MPs who switched from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the BJP, and three who left the TMC to join the BJP, will now be seen with the ruling coalition. Notably, the three rebel TMC MPs entered the House after resigning from their previous posts and winning Rajya Sabha seats unopposed on BJP tickets.
In fact, there are established rules for seating arrangements in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha: the ruling party and its alliance (NDA) always sit to the right of the Speaker or Chairman, with the first seat reserved for the Prime Minister. Conversely, the opposition parties and their alliance (I.N.D.I.A bloc) sit to the left of the Speaker or Chairman, with the Leader of the Opposition occupying a seat in the front row. Meanwhile, MPs belonging to parties that are neither part of the government nor the main opposition (such as independents or neutral parties) sit in the central block, known as the “Centre” or “Cross Benches”.
RULE 4
In the Lok Sabha, the seating arrangement is determined by the Speaker in accordance with Rule 4 of the “Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business”.
Formula for the front row: The front row has a limited 20 seats, which are in highest demand. A mathematical formula is applied for their allocation.
Priority based on seniority: The party’s top leaders, cabinet ministers, and very senior MPs occupy the front row. The final decision regarding seat allocation for smaller parties with limited numerical strength or for independent MPs rests with the Speaker’s discretion.
IN RAJYA SABHA
According to the rules of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the seating arrangement in the Upper House is determined by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (the Vice President).
Allocation of seats: Blocks 1 and 2 are generally reserved for the ruling party, Blocks 3 and 4 for neutral or smaller parties, while Blocks 5 and 6 are allocated to the main opposition parties.
