15th Kerala Assembly completes term amid debate, dissent & decisive lawmaking
CONSTITUTED on May 3, 2021, the 15th Kerala Assembly on Tuesday came to a close.
It was a term that combined legislative productivity with intense political engagement.
More than 16 Assembly sessions spanning 204 sitting days, the House met for 1,192 hours and 23 minutes, averaging nearly six hours a day, despite periodic disruptions.
In proportion to its sitting days, the 140-member Kerala Assembly passed the highest number of laws in the state's history.
Of the 195 government bills introduced, 168 were enacted, including 29 Appropriation Bills.
The legislative slate ranged from public health, digital science and cooperative reforms to welfare measures for expatriates and senior citizens, regulation of private universities, forest amendments and the Kerala Native Card Bill.
A defining feature of the term was its willingness to debate adjournment motions under Rule 50, once a rarity.
Eighteen such discussions were admitted, accounting for a historic allocation of time and underscoring a more accommodative approach to Opposition demands.
In a symbolic move widely welcomed, the seventh and sixteenth sessions were presided over by an all-women panel of chairpersons.
The Kerala Assembly also witnessed moments of constitutional friction.
On January 25, 2024, the then Governor Arif Mohammed Khan delivered the shortest policy address in Kerala's history, reading only the opening and closing paragraphs.
The House subsequently asserted its authority by adopting the Cabinet approved text as the official record.
Arif Mohammed Khan's successor, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, addressed the House twice during the term.
Accountability mechanisms remained robust.
More than 69,000 questions were admitted, with over 67,800 printed and answered, reinforcing the scrutiny of the executive.
Financial oversight committees tabled a record number of reports, while three full state budgets were passed before the new financial year, an uncommon occurrence in Kerala's legislative history.
The House also endured loss.
Among those who passed away during the term were former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and three other sitting legislators, besides former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, along with several former members and national leaders.
The fifteenth State Assembly leaves behind a record defined by legislative output, procedural assertion and a willingness to engage often contentiously with the questions of its time.
