Gujarat Assembly's Budget Session Set to Begin with Presentations and Debates

The budget session of the Gujarat Assembly is all set to begin Monday during which Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai is scheduled to present the state budget for the year 2026-27 on February 18. Election of Deputy Speaker and debates on several Bills to be presented by the state government including the one proposing to amend the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act to delete the offences of terrorist acts from it will be held during the session. The session will begin with the address of Governor Acharya Devvrat to the House on Monday. It will be followed by a motion to thank the Governor for his address to the House. The same day, the House will take up obituary references of those former members of the House who have died after the last session of the House in September 2025. In total, seven obituary references will be made for the former members of the House that include two former ministers – Mansukhbhai Joshi and Mohammedbhai Surati. On the first day, the Assembly will also hold an election for the post of Deputy Speaker which is lying vacant after the resignation of Jethabhai Ahir from the post. The BJP has nominated Surat West MLA Purnesh Modi and the principal Opposition Congress nominated its senior member Shailesh Parmar for the post. With BJP’s historic majority of 162 seats in the House of 182 members, Modi is likely to be elected to the post. Finance Minister Desai will present the state budget for the year 2026-27 on February 18. The total size of the budget is likely to be above the last budget of Rs 3.70 lakh crore for the year 2025-26. New Bills During the budget session, which is scheduled to last till March 25, the state government is expected to bring several Bills on various subjects. So far, it has published three Bills 1) The Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (Amendment) Bill, 2026, 2) The Saurashtra Gharkhed, Tenancy Settlement and Agricultural Lands (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2026 and 3) The Gujarat Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposes to delete the offences of terrorist acts from the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act, 2015. A Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill stated, “The State Government has enacted the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act, 2015 to curb the menace of terrorist acts and the organised crimes by making special provisions for prevention and control of terrorist acts and for coping with criminal activities by organised crime syndicates…” “The Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023…has, however, been enacted by the Central Government repealing the Indian Penal Code, 1860…by thoroughly revising the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and adding certain new kind of offences including terrorist acts. The State Government therefore, considers to delete the offences of terrorist acts from the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act, 2015 so that no overlapping in the investigation of the terrorist acts take place.” With that, the Bill also proposes to amend the name of the Act as the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Act, 2015. The Saurashtra Gharkhed, Tenancy Settlement and Agricultural Lands (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposes to amend certain provisions of the Saurashtra Gharkhed, Tenancy Settlement and Agricultural Lands Ordinance, 1949 to make provision for disposal of the land which is unauthorisedly occupied or wrongfully in possession of any person, by vesting such land in the state government. The third Bill that the government has published is The Gujarat Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) (Amendment) Bill, 2026 which seeks to replace an ordinance – the Gujarat Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 – that was promulgated on December 16, 2025. The ordinance was promulgated since the Assembly was not in session then. The ordinance has, among other things, increased the applicable threshold of the Act to 20 or more workers instead of earlier 10 workers and enabled employment of women workers round the clock, subject to the conditions. Cong, AAP to raise issues The two opposition parties in the House – Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) – are ready to corner the BJP government in the House by raising various issues. Legislative Party Leader of Congress Tushar Chaudhary said, “We have carried out Jan Akrosh Yatra in most parts of the state and have come across a number of issues related to people, farmers, small traders, corruption, drugs and law & order. We will raise all those issues on the floor of the House while seeking its resolution. We do not expect anything big from this government in the budget.” Whereas, the Legislative Party Leader of AAP Chaitar Vasava said, “It has been our demand to live stream the proceedings of Gujarat Assembly. We will raise our voice for the demand in this session as well. Also, we will raise the issues of youths, farmers, students, people displaced by various dam projects etc.. We will also raise the issue of discontinuing the system of contractual employment. The budget generally does not witness proportionate allocation for the people of OBC/SC/ST communities, so we will raise that issue as well those related to health and education.”