Women’s Reservation Bill: Centre Plans Special Parliament Session
A special session could decide whether the 33% women's quota and a bigger Lok Sabha of up to 850 seats clear Parliament before 2029.
Image: PTI
The Centre plans to call a special session of Parliament to bring back its Constitution amendment on women’s reservation, according to reports by The Week and Outlook on Thursday, 12 November, that cite sources in a PTI report. The government believes it can clear the Lok Sabha by 15 to 18 votes above the required two-thirds majority, the sources told PTI. No dates for the session have been announced.
A Bigger Lok Sabha Is Part of the Package
The bill would give women 33 per cent of seats in Parliament and state assemblies. It is tied to delimitation, which would raise the Lok Sabha’s strength from 543 to a maximum of 850. Outlook reports that government sources are weighing a formula that raises every state’s seats by 50 per cent while keeping the inter-state ratio based on the 1971 Census, a concern of southern states. No final decision has been taken, the sources said. The aim is to put the women’s quota into effect before the 2029 general election.
Defeated on 17 April
An earlier version failed in the Lok Sabha at a special sitting on 17 April, which the Opposition counted as a win for the INDIA bloc. The Opposition had asked the Centre to separate the women’s quota from delimitation; The Week reports that the Centre has not done so. A constitutional amendment needs 361 votes in the 543-member House, which has three vacancies. The Week reports that leaders from the Trinamool Congress, AAP and the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena have since defected to the NDA or offered it support, which the government counts on.
Also read Rijiju Replies to Kharge on Delimitation Bill and House Prorogation
The monsoon session was adjourned sine die on 13 August and has not been prorogued, 91 days on as of Thursday. Congress’s Jairam Ramesh had alleged this keeps the door open for a delimitation push; IPB reported it on 3 November.
Two Days’ Notice or Fourteen
The Week says an extra sitting of the current session needs at least two days’ notice, while a new session needs at least 14 days. Until the government names a date, the vote count, the seat formula and any change to the link with delimitation remain unconfirmed. Readers can follow the Delimitation and Parliament pages for updates.
Source: Based on reporting by The Week and Outlook.
Image: PTI.
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