Parliamentary Panel Reshuffle 2026: Full List of New Chairpersons and Key Changes

Parliamentary Panel Reshuffle 2026: Full List of New Chairpersons and Key Changes

Introduction

• New Structure: The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees (DRSCs) of the Indian Parliament have been reconstituted for 2026–27. The new arrangement came into effect from 26 September 2026.
• Committee Strength: The reshuffle covers 24 standing committees — 16 under the Lok Sabha and 8 under the Rajya Sabha.
• Leadership Changes: Many chairpersons have been continued in their posts, but some important parliamentary committees have got new chairpersons under the latest reshuffle.

Major Changes in Parliamentary Committees

• Commerce Panel: BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi has replaced TMC MP Dola Sen as the chairperson of the Commerce Committee.
• Chemicals Panel: Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has replaced Kirti Azad as the chairperson of the Chemicals and Fertilisers Committee.
• Law Panel: BJP’s Sujeet Kumar has replaced Brij Lal as the chairperson of the Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice Committee.
• Railways Panel: BJP’s Sudheer Gupta has replaced M. Ramesh as the chairperson of the Railways Committee.
• Defence Panel: BJP’s Radha Mohan Singh has been appointed as the chairperson of the Defence Committee.
• Industry Panel: DMK’s Tiruchi Siva has been appointed as the chairperson of the Industry Committee.
• Finance Panel: BJP’s Bhartruhari Mahtab will head the Finance Committee.

Full List of 2026–27 Parliamentary Panel Chairpersons

• Agriculture Panel: Charanjit Singh Channi of the Congress is the chairperson of the Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing Committee.
• Commerce Panel: Sudhanshu Trivedi of the BJP is the chairperson of the Commerce Committee.
• Communications Panel: Nishikant Dubey of the BJP heads the Communications and Information Technology Committee.
• Consumer Affairs Panel: Kanimozhi of the DMK is the chairperson of the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Committee.
• Defence Panel: Radha Mohan Singh of the BJP has been appointed as the chairperson of the Defence Committee.
• Education Panel: Mukul Wasnik of the Congress heads the Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports Committee.
• Energy Panel: Shrirang Appa Barne of the Shiv Sena is the chairperson of the Energy Committee.
• External Affairs Panel: Shashi Tharoor of the Congress continues as the chairperson of the External Affairs Committee.
• Finance Panel: Bhartruhari Mahtab of the BJP will head the Finance Committee.
• Health Panel: Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party is the chairperson of the Health and Family Welfare Committee.
• Home Affairs Panel: Radha Mohan Das Agrawal of the BJP heads the Home Affairs Committee.
• Housing Panel: Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy of the TDP is the chairperson of the Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.
• Industry Panel: Tiruchi Siva of the DMK has been appointed as the chairperson of the Industry Committee.
• Labour Panel: Shashank Mani of the BJP heads the Labour, Textiles and Skill Development Committee.
• Personnel Panel: Sujeet Kumar of the BJP is the chairperson of the Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice Committee.
• Petroleum Panel: Sunil Dattatrey Tatkare of the NCP heads the Petroleum and Natural Gas Committee.
• Railways Panel: Sudheer Gupta of the BJP is the chairperson of the Railways Committee.
• Rural Development Panel: Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka of the Congress heads the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Committee.
• Science and Environment Panel: Medha Vishram Kulkarni of the BJP is the chairperson of the Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change Committee.
• Transport Panel: Sanjay Kumar Jha of the JD(U) heads the Transport, Tourism and Culture Committee.
• Water Resources Panel: Rajiv Pratap Rudy of the BJP is the chairperson of the Water Resources Committee.
• Coal and Steel Panel: Anurag Singh Thakur of the BJP heads the Coal, Mines and Steel Committee.
• Social Justice Panel: C. Mohan of the BJP is the chairperson of the Social Justice and Empowerment Committee.
• Chemicals Panel: Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar of the NCPI/rebel TMC faction has been appointed as the chairperson of the Chemicals and Fertilisers Committee.

The committee structure and appointments listed above are based on the latest reports and parliamentary information available as of 5 October 2026.

TMC Loses Two Important Chairperson Posts

• Two Losses: One of the biggest political points in the reshuffle is that the Trinamool Congress has lost two committee chairpersonships.
• Commerce Change: BJP’s Sudhanshu Trivedi has taken charge of the Commerce Committee from TMC MP Dola Sen.
• Chemicals Change: Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who is linked with the TMC rebel faction and has moved to the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, has been made the chairperson of the Chemicals and Fertilisers Committee. She has replaced Kirti Azad.
• Political Context: These changes have taken place at a time when there have been political developments in West Bengal and a group of TMC MPs have moved away from the party.
• Political Attention: Because of these changes, the reshuffle has received considerable political attention, especially because of the changes in committee leadership and the changing political situation.

Key Opposition Leaders Retain Important Posts

• Shashi Tharoor: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor continues as the chairperson of the External Affairs Committee. He therefore continues to hold an important position related to India’s foreign affairs.
• Charanjit Channi: Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi continues to lead the Agriculture Committee, which deals with agriculture, animal husbandry and food processing.
• Mukul Wasnik: Congress leader Mukul Wasnik heads the Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports Committee. The committee deals with several important areas related to education, women, children and young people.
• Ram Gopal Yadav: Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav continues as the chairperson of the Health and Family Welfare Committee, which looks at important matters related to health.
• Saptagiri Ulaka: Congress leader Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka continues to head the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Committee, which deals with rural development and local self-government.
• DMK Leadership: DMK leaders Tiruchi Siva and Kanimozhi continue to hold important committee positions. Siva heads the Industry Committee, while Kanimozhi heads the Consumer Affairs Committee.

Role of Parliamentary Standing Committees

• Policy Scrutiny: Parliamentary Standing Committees have an important role in checking and examining the work of the government. They study government policies and programmes in detail.
• Bill Examination: These committees examine Bills referred to them. This gives Members of Parliament more time to study proposed laws and discuss their details.
• Budget Review: The committees examine ministry budgets and annual reports. This helps Parliament check how government departments are spending money and carrying out their work.
• Departmental Matters: They also look at other matters related to their respective ministries and departments. After studying these issues, they prepare reports that are placed before Parliament.
• Committee Number: India has 24 Department-related Standing Committees. The system was expanded from 17 committees to 24 committees in 2004.
• Annual Tenure: Each committee normally has a one-year tenure. After this period, the committees are reconstituted, which is why changes in chairpersons and members take place regularly.

Why the 2026 Reshuffle Matters

• Political Representation: Changes in chairpersons show the current political and numerical position of different parties in Parliament. They also decide how different parties take part in the committee system.
• Greater Scrutiny: Committee chairpersons guide the detailed study of government policies, laws and spending. Their role is therefore important in checking the work of the government.
• Opposition Role: The continued presence of Opposition leaders in important committees provides an important way to question and examine the work of the government.
• TMC Impact: The loss of two chairpersonships by the TMC, along with new appointments for the BJP and other parties, is one of the most noticeable political features of this year’s reshuffle.
• Broader Significance: The changes show that the reshuffle is not only a regular administrative exercise. It also reflects the changing political situation and relationships between different parties in Parliament.

Important Questions

1. What are the major changes made in the Parliamentary Panel Reshuffle 2026?
2. Who are the new chairpersons of the Commerce, Defence, Finance, Industry and Railways Committees?
3. Which two important parliamentary committee chairpersonships has the Trinamool Congress lost in the 2026 reshuffle?
4. What is the role and importance of Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees in India?
5. Which important Opposition leaders have retained their parliamentary committee chairpersonships in 2026–27?

Conclusion

The 2026–27 Parliamentary Panel Reshuffle brings changes in the leadership of several important committees while retaining many experienced chairpersons. The changes in committees such as Commerce, Defence, Finance, Industry, Railways, Chemicals and Fertilisers, and Personnel, Law and Justice are especially important, while the loss of two chairpersonships by the TMC has also made the reshuffle politically significant.