NEW DELHI, April 15 -- As a three-day special sitting of Parliament begins today with a debate on a key Constitution amendment Bill, the government and the Opposition are all set for sharp and heated exchange in the Lok Sabha, signalling a stormy session ahead.
The Constitution amendment Bill has provisions for the women's quota law implementation and the contentious delimitation exercise.
While the government is set to push The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 as a big-ticket reform, the Opposition has decided to oppose the Bill due to its provisions on delimitation. Both sides appear set to lock horns on the issue.
Both sides are making all-out efforts to drum up support at Centre as well as in states amid concerns in Southern states that a delimitation exercise under the provisions of the Bill would reduce their political standing because of a better performance on population control.
On the Women's quota, sources in the government said there would be 50 per cent increase of current Lok Sabha seats in each state without any injustice to any of the states, the seats will be proportional and the government side would clarify each and every aspect during debate in Parliament.
On the eve of the special three-day sitting of Parliament, top Opposition leaders met in the Capital at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss and evolve a joint strategy on the Bills brought for the implementation of the women's quota law and delimitation.
Besides Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, the other leaders at the meeting included DMK's T R Baalu, the RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, Trinamool Congress's Sagarika Ghosh, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Arvind Sawant, and the NCP-SCP's Supriya Sule, with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav joining virtually.
CPI leader Annie Raja, the CPI-M's Nilotpal Basu, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, Independent MP Kapil Sibal, the IUML's E T Mohammed Bashir and the RSP's N K Premachandran also attended the meeting, other than Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh.
Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Kharge said the Opposition parties decided to unite in voting against the delimitation provisions in the Constitution amendment Bill in Parliament, asserting that they were not against women's reservation but opposed to the "politically motivated" manner in which the Bill was being brought.
All Opposition parties want that one-third reservation be given to women, and it be implemented based on the current Lok Sabha strength of 543 for the next general election in 2029, Ramesh told journalists.
In a post on X, Gandhi alleged that the government's proposed amendments to the Constitution constitute an "attempted power grab" through the use of delimitation and gerrymandering. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha emphasised that his party would not permit southern, northeastern, northwestern, and smaller states to be treated unfairly.
The government plans to bring a Constitution amendment Bill, a Bill on delimitation law and an enabling Bill for Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry -- three Union territories with a legislature -- on Thursday in the Lok Sabha to fast-track implementation of the women's reservation Act of 2023.
Lok Sabha seats will be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls following a delimitation exercise to be carried out on the basis of the last published census.
According to the draft Constitution amendment Bill, which will be introduced and is expected to be passed in the upcoming special sitting of Parliament, seats would also be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
Amending the Constitution requires a special majority in both Houses of Parliament: a majority of the total membership (more than 50 per cent) and a two-thirds majority of members present and voting. So if all 540 members, that are there in the House currently, are present and voting, the two-thirds majority mark would be 360.
The total strength of the NDA in the Lok Sabha stands at 292, while the major Opposition parties have 233 MPs.
There is discomfort and growing opposition among southern states over apprehensions that a delimitation would reduce their political weight vis-a-vis their northern counterparts.
Two prominent non-BJP chief ministers from the south -- the DMK's M K Stalin (Tamil Nadu) and the Congress's A Revanth Reddy (Telangana) -- have sharpened their attack on the Centre over the issue of delimitation, with the Tamil Nadu CM warning of a "massive agitation" if the state was harmed and his Telangana counterpart flagging "injustice".
Reddy has written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to convene an all-party meeting to deliberate on the proposed delimitation, alleging that an increase in Lok Sabha seats based on pro rata, without considering economic contribution, would lead to a distortion in the country's federal balance.
Reddy has also written to his counterparts from Andhra Pradesh (Chandrababu Naidu), Karnataka (Siddaramaiah), Kerala (Pinarayi Vijayan), Puducherry (N Rangasamy) and Tamil Nadu, calling for collective engagement among southern states to ensure that their concerns are articulated effectively at the national level.
The ruling NDA has also closed ranks and rallied behind the prime minister, pitching the move for early implementation of the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' as a "historic step".
In a letter to the women of the country, Modi has asserted that Indian democracy will become stronger and more vibrant if elections to the Lok Sabha and the various assemblies in 2029 are held with the women's quota fully in place.
Modi said that when women become active participants in policy and decision-making, the journey towards Viksit Bharat (developed India) is strengthened.
Opposition parties across the country questioned the BJP-led NDA government over delimitation, expressing concern over the proposed exercise that has seen southern non-BJP CMs rally together, expressing concern over their state's interests.
The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu announced a state-wide black flag demo on April 16 coinciding with a special session of Parliament that is likely to discuss amendments to the Women's Reservation Act and delimitation.
Opposition leaders raised concerns over the lack of consensus and timing of the session.
DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, who has been opposing delimitation tooth and nail saying it will harm the southern states' interests, stepped up the attack against the Centre, warning the Centre of consequences and a "heavy price" if it did not heed to Tamil Nadu's voice.
Stalin, after chairing an emergency meeting of party MPs and DMK district secretaries through video conference on the issue, said, "The sword that hung over our heads has now descended upon us."
The DMK is reaching out to MPs across states and devising a coordinated strategy to counter this "grave danger", he said.
In a statement, Stalin alleged that the delimitation amendment the Union government planning to bring in Parliament on Thursday is a "massive, historic injustice" against Tamil Nadu and the southern states.
He asked if the delimitation exercise, which would allegedly be against southern states, was a "punishment for contributing to India's progress". "Is this how Tamil Nadu and the southern states are repaid?" he asked.
Invoking Tamil Nadu's history of political assertion, Stalin suggested that if institutional responses failed, public expression would follow. He asked, "Atal Bihari Vajpayee froze delimitation to preserve balance until the country evolved more evenly. Why abandon that wisdom now?'
As part of his efforts to mobilise support against delimitation, Stalin had last year convened a meeting of non-BJP ruled states here and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his counterparts from Telangana and Punjab, Bhagwant Mann and A Revanth Reddy, respectively and Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar, among others had attended the deliberations.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that delimitation could undermine the federal structure and adversely affect states like Kerala.
The Bill proposed to be introduced in a special session of Parliament, based on the 2011 Census, would significantly affect the rights of states and the principle of equitable justice. He said it was also worrying that the Centre was proceeding on such a crucial issue without arriving at a consensus with the states
The Trinamool Congress too attacked the Centre over delimitation, where the government intends to increase the existing Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850.
The government is executing a "devious plot" to usher in delimitation under the cover of women's reservation, TMC leader Derek O'Brien charged,
Targeting PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, he charged that the government is using women's reservation as a pretext.
"Delimitation is the devious agenda. Women, their excuse," he said, adding the ruling dispensation has "never cared a fig about women."
"Mock the Constitution, mock Parliament and mock the women of this great nation," he said.
Centre's delimitation will 'suppress' voices of southern states, senior Congress leader and former union minister P Chidambaram said.
Labelling the timing of the parliamentary session as a "planned conspiracy", he argued that it is aimed at preventing MPs from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, engaged in election campaigns, from attending it.
Noting that Congress has requested the Centre to postpone the session, citing elections in these two states, he asked, "What is the danger if the Parliament session could be held after the elections."
In his response, TVK chief Vijay urged the Centre to withdraw the Constitution (131st amendment) Bill since it will be a "biased action" in reducing the voices of the people of southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu, in the Parliament.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut called delimitation contentious, saying it is being undertaken without a Census and could face fierce opposition from southern states.
Raut said there was no reason for his party to oppose the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam', or Women's Reservation Act, which the Centre plans to implement early.
"It is the delimitation (of Lok Sabha seats) which will create a serious situation in the country. The issue of delimitation is contentious and is being done without conducting the Census," Raut said.
BJD chief Naveen Patnaik urged Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to convene a special session of the assembly "within 48 hours" to discuss ways to protect the state's interest in the delimitation Bill. He, however, welcomed the Women's Reservation Bill.With Agency Inputs
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.