Madhya Pradesh Assembly Session Abandoned as 14 MLAs Choose Weddings Over Legislative Duties

Across political parties, legislators united not for legislative responsibilities but for wedding celebrations.

Bhopal:

The Winter Session of Madhya Pradesh Assembly, scheduled to conclude on December 5, ended rather unceremoniously when lawmakers from various political parties collectively abandoned the House to attend weddings.

On the final day, Treasury benches were fully prepared with responses, and ministers were ready to address challenging questions, but ironically, the MLAs who had originally posed these questions were nowhere to be found.

The reason? Wedding season was in full swing.

A total of 14 MLAs, including representatives from the BJP, Congress, and even the single MLA from the Bharat Adivasi Party, were absent when their starred questions were called. With no legislators present to ask these questions, the Question Hour concluded prematurely due to lack of participation.

Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar appeared visibly surprised as he surveyed the empty Opposition benches before reading aloud the names of the absent MLAs. No responses were heard.

Legislative Affairs Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya rose with a subtle smile, remarking, "Honourable Speaker, when planning future Assembly session dates, perhaps we should consider wedding muhurats as well. Many MLAs have family weddings today. From next year, we will strive to ensure Assembly dates do not conflict with marriage ceremonies."

This prompted a mixture of amusement and disbelief throughout the House.

Questions numbered 14 to 18 and 20 to 25, all submitted by Opposition MLAs, expired without being raised. MLAs responsible for questions 2, 7, and 11 were also absent. Every minister and bureaucrat was present—only those who had submitted questions were missing.

For the first time in nearly two decades, the Assembly found itself with five minutes remaining in Question Hour with absolutely nothing to address.

Regardless of party affiliation, the MLAs appeared more committed to wedding attendance than legislative duties.

This incident has triggered discussions outside the Assembly regarding elected representatives' priorities. Critics contend that Question Hour represents democracy's most essential accountability mechanism, yet it was sacrificed for wedding invitations.

Defenders of the absent legislators argue that during peak marriage season, public representatives are both expected and obligated to attend numerous ceremonies within their constituencies.