New Delhi: The government and the Opposition are set to cross swords in the Lok Sabha on Thursday as a three-day special sitting of the Parliament begins with a debate on a key Constitution amendment bill that 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 are rallying support at the Centre as well as in states amid concerns in the southern part of the country that a delimitation exercise under the provisions of the bill would reduce their political standing because of a better performance on population control.
Several Opposition parties have decided to unitedly vote against the delimitation provisions in the Constitution amendment bill, while asserting that they are not against reservation for women in legislative bodies.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Opposition parties are opposed to the manner in which the bill is being brought and alleged that it is politically motivated.
Leaders of several INDIA bloc constituents, besides the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), met at Kharge’s residence on Wednesday to evolve a joint strategy in Parliament during its three-day special sitting.
“All of us are in favour of the women reservation bill, but have reservations on the way in which it is being brought. It is politically motivated. Just to gag and suppress opposition parties, the government is doing this….”
“We are continuously supporting women’s reservation. We are insisting that an earlier amendment that was passed be implemented. They (the BJP-led Centre) are playing tricks with delimitation. Therefore, all parties have taken a decision unitedly to oppose this bill,” Kharge told reporters after the meeting.
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 reporters after the meeting.
In a post on X, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government’s proposed amendments to the Constitution constitute an “attempted power grab” through the use of delimitation and gerrymandering.
Gandhi 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% reservation for women.
Amending the Constitution requires a special majority in both Houses of Parliament: a majority of the total membership (more than 50%) 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 delimitation would reduce their political weight vis-a-vis their northern counterparts.
