Chandigarh, April 28 -- The special Haryana assembly session convened by chief minister Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government to corner the Congress on contentious women reservation issue lost steam even before the debate began on Monday as the principal opposition party decided to boycott proceedings, turning the much-anticipated political showdown into an anti-climax.

The day-long special session, hurriedly convened a month after the budget session's conclusion, was triggered by the Union government's setbacks in the Lower House on April 17, when the united opposition defeated the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026.

Among three bills introduced in the Lok Sabha on April 16 were the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, a...