According to an analysis by PRS Legislative Research, an independent research body, the average annual number of sitting days of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has halved from 64 days during the first term (1952–1957) to 32 days during the last 16th term (2021–2026).
According to the analysis, the 16th Parliament, whose term began on May 11, 2021 and is scheduled to end on May 10, 2026, sat for only 155 days, the least for an entire term since 1952. However, the figures given by Speaker M. Appavu during his valucation speech in the House said that the House met on February 16, 2020.
Average annual session days have been steadily decreasing since 2006. According to the analysis, it was 46 in the 13th Assembly (2006-11), 40 in the 14th Assembly (2011-16) and 34 in the 15th Assembly (2016-21).
During the term of the 16th Assembly, 201 bills were introduced, of which 194 were passed, excluding the Finance and Appropriation Bills and seven other bills that were not considered for analysis. Of the bills passed, 78% were passed by the House on the day they were introduced, while 10% were passed within two to five days. The remaining 12% passed after more than five days of introduction, the analysis said.
During this term, 82% of bills received assent (from the Governor/President) within three months of approval, while nine bills received assent more than a year after approval. These include six bills that were deemed passed after the Supreme Court’s 2025 ruling, the analysis said.
Urban government, education and public services emerged as key legislative topics during the term, with 13% of bills related to education, followed by 12% of municipal government bills and 8% of bills related to law and order, the analysis added.
Published – 20 March 2026 0:16 IST
