Imphal : The eighth session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly will begin on September 2 and conclude on September 7, but will have only three sitting days, according to a provisional calendar issued by the Assembly Secretariat on Tuesday.

The limited duration has drawn objections from the Opposition Congress, with Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader K Meghachandra submitting a dissent note and demanding more sitting days to allow a detailed discussion on the prevailing situation in the state.

Assembly Secretary Rohit Sapam issued the provisional calendar outlining the legislative business scheduled for the three sittings.

The first sitting on September 2 will begin with obituary references, followed by the presentation of the Business Advisory Committee report, the First Batch of Demands for Supplementary Grants for 2026-27 and the introduction of government Bills.

The second sitting, on September 3, will include a question-and-answer session and a general discussion on the First Batch of Demands for Supplementary Grants for 2026-27.

The third and final sitting, scheduled for September 7, will have another question-and-answer session, followed by discussion and voting on the supplementary grants. The Appropriation Bill will also be introduced, while government Bills will be taken up for consideration and passage.

The seventh session of the 12th Manipur Assembly was held in March this year. Reacting to the three-day schedule, Meghachandra said the House needed more time to debate the issues confronting the state.

“We need to have a debate and discussion on the present situation in the state. If we do not have enough sitting days, there will not be any meaningful debate and discussion. If there is no debate, there cannot be healthy democracy and healthy administration,” he said.

The Congress leader also claimed that the Assembly was falling short of the prescribed norms on the number of annual sittings. “As per the rules, the minimum number of Assembly sittings should be 50 days in a year. This year, we have had far fewer sittings. It is a violation of the Assembly guidelines,” Meghachandra said.

He stressed that the Assembly should be given adequate time to discuss issues affecting the people of Manipur. “We need more sitting days so that the voice of the people can be discussed in the House,” said Meghachandra, the Congress MLA from Wangkhei Assembly constituency.

The Congress has submitted its dissent note for the record and reiterated its demand for an extension of the upcoming session. The provisional schedule was finalised after a meeting of the Assembly’s Business Advisory Committee chaired by Speaker Th Satyabrata.