New Delhi: In a major move to break the legislative deadlock, the Central Government has reopened dialogue with the principal Opposition party, the Indian National Congress, proposing a three-day special session of Parliament from August 16 to 18. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju held a nearly 50-minute meeting with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to gauge the Opposition’s stance on constitutional amendment Bills linking the delimitation exercise with the implementation of women’s reservation.
The proposed legislative package aims to amend the Constitution to reserve 33 per cent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies while simultaneously conducting a fresh delimitation exercise. Under the proposal, the strength of the Lok Sabha would expand significantly from 543 to 850 members. This structural expansion is intended to fast-track the operationalization of the gender quota for the upcoming 2029 Lok Sabha election cycle, advancing it from the 2034 timeline originally envisioned under the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam passed in 2023.
The initiative comes months after the government suffered a rare legislative setback when the Opposition defeated an earlier iteration of the Bill during a special session due to the lack of the mandatory two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendments. However, the political landscape within Parliament has shifted significantly. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has strengthened its numerical position following the induction and support of several non-aligned lawmakers, alongside parliamentary support from groups like the Shiv Sena (UBT), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) defectors, and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Outreach efforts are also underway to secure issue-based backing from parties such as the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and the DMK.
To address long-standing apprehensions among Southern states regarding potential loss of proportional representation due to demographic trends, the Centre has offered assurances of a minimum 50 per cent increase over each state’s current Lok Sabha seat count. Despite these assurances, the Congress party maintains its opposition to linking delimitation with women’s reservation, arguing that the 33 per cent gender quota should be implemented immediately based on the current parliamentary strength rather than tying it to complex constituency redraws.
