Gandhinagar: The budget session of the Gujarat Assembly will commence later today at 12 noon, with Finance Minister Kanu Desai scheduled to present the state budget for 2026–27 on Tuesday. The session will open with the customary address by Governor Acharya Devvrat.

As per the schedule, the Governor’s speech will be followed by a condolence motion for state leaders who recently passed away. The Assembly will also elect a new Deputy Speaker on the first day of the session.

BJP MLA Purnesh Modi and Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar have filed nominations for the Deputy Speaker’s post. The election became necessary after the resignation of incumbent Jetha Bharwad in December last year, citing a busy schedule. With the BJP holding 162 seats in the 182-member House, Surat MLA Modi is widely expected to secure an easy victory.

During the session, the state government is likely to introduce the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposing significant changes to the 2015 legislation. As per the draft, the amendment seeks to remove all references to “terrorism” and “terrorist acts” from the principal Act. The long title of the law would be revised by deleting the phrase “for prevention and control of terrorist acts,” and multiple sections, including definitions and penal provisions, would no longer mention terrorist activities.

Other bills to be tabled include the Gujarat Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025. Furthermore, annual reports for 2024–25 will be tabled today for the Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) by Minister Jitu Vaghani and the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited by Minister Rishikesh Patel. DeshGujarat