With Opposition parties seeking an all-party meeting and a brief on the government’s proposal to increase Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha seats for rolling out the women’s reservation Act, the government may take any step in this regard only after such a discussion.
Sources in the government said a Special Session of Parliament could be convened for consideration and passage of any amendment Bill after the ongoing Assembly elections are concluded, and that the brief to be shared with the Opposition was being prepared.
Several Opposition parties, including the Congress, did not turn up for the meeting held by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, and are pressing for all-party talks rather than separate meetings or one-on-one briefings.
Constitutional amendments would be required, to the Nari Vandan Adhiniyam and the Delimitation Commission Act, if the government plans to increase the number of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha constituencies after delimitation as per the 2011 Census. The government is believed to be considering increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 from 543, with around 270 to be reserved for women.
The share of states in the total seats, sources said, would remain the same, with each seeing roughly an increase of 50% in its number of constituencies.
Since constitutional amendments require two-third support in both Houses of Parliament, the government will need votes from Opposition ranks, making it essential to keep them in the loop.
On Tuesday, Opposition parties barring the TMC held a meeting, after which Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju urging the government to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the proposed amendments, after the Assembly elections conclude on April 29, and to circulate a note detailing the exact proposals before the talks.
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At the Business Advisory Committee meeting held on Tuesday, time was slotted for the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill 2025, The Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) BIll and The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill apart from the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha during the day.
Parliament, which is scheduled to be concluded on April 2, will have a holiday on Thursday for Ram Navami, but will function over the weekend.
According to those present at Monday’s meeting with Shah, the government wants to implement the women’s quota from the 2029 general elections. It also suggested that a Delimitation Commission be formed by June this year.
The proposal to increase the Lok Sabha constituencies in such a way that the proportion of states remains the same could allay fears of southern states that they would lose out in a delimitation exercise done on the basis of population. However, questions were being raised Tuesday by a section of OBC MPs over delimitation getting delinked from caste enumeration, which is being done as part of the ongoing Census.
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An opposition MP said an updated caste count would have strengthened the case for reservation for OBCs on the basis of their population. “There is absolute ambiguity over when the country would get the real count on its castes,” the MP said.
However, a leader said: “I do not think caste census is the issue. In today’s Parliament, no one can say OBCs are under-represented. The issue is in the other verticals of governance, especially judiciary and bureaucracy.”
More than a quarter of the MPs, around 140 in number, in the 18th Lok Sabha belong to OBC categories.
Another Opposition MP said the government was clearly seeking to consolidate its support base among women, as well as send a message to
the South ahead of Kerala and Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
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“For the BJP it is important to show to southern states that it has no intention to hurt their interests in the delimitation exercise,” the MP said, claiming that this argument stood on thin ice: “Even if the delimitation exercise retains the proportion of seats, Hindi heartland states will grow even bigger.”
