NEW DELHI: The centre has called a special session of the Parliament amid speculations of an early Lok Sabha election. The session will be convened for five days from September 18 to 22. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi announced the decision.

He tweeted that the House meets for effective discussions and debates. However, the reason for convening the special meeting has not been specified. The last meeting was drowned in Manipur riots. The government has so far been tight lipped on possible agendas.

Meanwhile, the centre informed the Supreme Court that elections can be held in Jammu and Kashmir anytime. The Centre's statement came during the hearing of a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed this on behalf of the Centre before the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court. However, the final decision will be taken by the election commission and the state poll panel.

The Supreme Court had clarified the need to restore democracy in Jammu and Kashmir, which has not had an elected government since 2018, in a hearing on Tuesday. However, the centre refused to give a time frame for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The centre said it will take some time to restore the status.