External Affairs Minister and leader of House in Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee called up Leader of the Opposition L K Advani [Images] expressing willingness to re-schedule the session as suggested by the latter at an all-party meeting on Friday on account of festivals, including Diwali, and the assembly elections.

BJP spokesperson Sushma Swaraj told reporters that Advani convened an emergency meeting of the NDA leaders in his chamber Monday morning to convey this development.

When Mukherjee wondered if the session should also wait for completion of the Jammu and Kashmir [Images] elections that go on till December 28, Advani told him that the bulk of elections would also be over by December 8. He particularly suggested the re-schedule since otherwise almost 70-80 MPs of the poll-bound states may not be able to attend the two Houses.

On the Left parties insisting that there should be better a new session in December instead of continuing with the present one, Swaraj said, "We have no difficulty if it is a separate winter session. We, however, pressed for re-scheduling so that we are reassured that Parliament would meet again from December 8 without fail."

If the Houses are prorogued, the prerogative on when to convene them again rests with the government and it was because of the bitter experience of the government postponing the monsoon session that "we want an assured date" through adjournment, the BJP spokesperson added.