Despite Oppn’s boycott, Sule joins panel on key Constitutional Bills

In an apparent sign of a rift within the INDIA bloc, all major opposition parties — except the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) — declined to join the Joint Committee of Parliament (JCP) formed to examine three crucial pieces of legislation, including the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, and amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation and Union Territories Acts.Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday appointed BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi as chairperson of the 31-member panel. Supriya Sule of the NCP (SP) has been the only INDIA bloc member to accept the nomination for the panel.

Leaders of the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Samajwadi Party and the DMK have chosen to stay away from the panel, signalling a coordinated protest by the opposition.

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee is understood to have spearheaded the move, calling the Bills “an assault on the spirit of federalism” and urging partners to boycott the panel.

The panel will also include Anurag Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Bhartruhari Mahtab and the TDP’s Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu. Outside the NDA fold, Lok Sabha members Asaduddin Owaisi and Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and nominated members in the Rajya Sabha Sudha Murthy and Ujjwal Nikam have been included in the panel. The committee will begin its deliberations later this month.

“The Speaker has been pleased to appoint Lok Sabha member Aparajita Sarangi as the Chairperson of the Joint Committee on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025; The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025; and The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025,” read a notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.