In April, the Modi government attempted to pass the Delimitation Bill and the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill in Parliament. Both bills were introduced and debated in the Lok Sabha, but the opposition insisted it would not support them. To pass the Delimitation Bill, the government needs a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament. This means, based on the current Lok Sabha membership, the support of 360 MPs is required. Considering the current number of MPs in the Rajya Sabha, the two-thirds figure is 163. It is believed that the Modi government has achieved this numerical advantage. Consequently, it is preparing to convene a special session of Parliament to introduce the Delimitation Bill and the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill.
According to reports, apart from MK Stalin’s DMK, which has parted ways with the Congress, MPs who have rebelled from the TMC and MPs from Sharad Pawar’s NCP can vote in favor of the Delimitation Bill and the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill. The DMK had opposed the Delimitation Bill in April. The opposition had demanded that the number of Lok Sabha seats in all states be increased by 50 percent, which was not there in the bill presented then. On this, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said in the Lok Sabha that if given an hour, this provision would be added to the bill and then presented again. Despite this, the opposition did not agree. After which the Modi government withdrew the Delimitation Bill and the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill.