govt-proposes-3-day-session-to-pass-delimitation-quota-bills

The Centre has revived its push to pass the contentious delimitation and women's reservation Bills by proposing a three-day special session of Parliament from August 16 to 18 and initiating consultations with the Opposition, beginning with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday to discuss the government's proposal for the special session. The Congress, however, is yet to formally respond to the Centre's outreach.

 

The government is seeking to pass constitutional amendment Bills to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies through a fresh delimitation exercise. It also proposes increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from the present 543 seats to around 850, a move aimed at accommodating population changes while expanding representation.

 

The legislation had failed to clear Parliament during a special session in April after the government fell short of the required two-thirds majority needed for constitutional amendments. Since then, the ruling NDA has strengthened its numbers with support from MPs of several parties, including AAP, the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), improving its prospects of securing the necessary votes.

 

The Centre is also reaching out to other regional parties, including Sharad Pawar's NCP and the DMK, in an effort to build broader consensus. While some parties have indicated issue-based support, concerns remain, particularly among southern states, which fear that delimitation based on population could reduce their proportional representation in Parliament.

 

To address these concerns, the government has reportedly assured states that the expansion of Lok Sabha seats would ensure every state sees an increase in representation, rather than a reduction in absolute numbers.

 

The Congress has maintained that women's reservation should be implemented immediately based on the existing strength of the Lok Sabha, opposing its linkage with the delimitation exercise.

 

If passed during the proposed session, the government hopes to implement the new framework ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, instead of 2034 as envisaged under the existing Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.