The NDA government is planning to bring the delimitation and women’s reservation bill in Parliament once again during the ongoing Monsoon Session. As the government lacks numbers in the Lok Sabha, it has reportedly reached out to the main opposition party, the Congress, seeking support for the bill. However, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has rejected the Congress party’s support to the bill. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday and sought to understand the Opposition’s stand on the legislation. Nearly an hour-long meeting was also attended by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Rahul Gandhi on delimitation
Rahul Gandhi had earlier called upon political parties across the country, particularly those in Tamil Nadu, to unite against the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise. He alleged that it would undermine the State’s political representation and interests.
LoP Rahul Gandhi accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to use delimitation to reduce Tamil Nadu’s political influence. He said all regional and national parties should come together in Parliament to defeat any legislation that could adversely affect the State’s representation. LoP Rahul Gandhi described it as a conspiracy by the BJP and maintained that parties in the State should recognise its potential long-term consequences.
Lok Sabha Number Game
The delimitation and women’s reservation bill require amendment in the Constitution. The government needs two-third majority in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha to get the bill passed. The NDA had 292 seats in the Lok Sabha but with the support of six Shiv Sena-UBT rebels and 20 TMC rebels, the party’s count has risen to 318. The figure is still short of 360, the two-thirds majority threshold. The NDA is now looking towards the DMK and the NCP-SP for support.
Rajya Sabha Number Game
Unlike the Lok Sabha, the two-thirds majority mark in the Rajya Sabha stands at 166 with a total of 245 members. The NDA’s current strength is 152, which is 14 short of the two-thirds majority. While the NDA is confident of getting a two-thirds majority in the upper house, the challenge remains the two-thirds majority support in the Lok Sabha.
What’s the delimitation proposal by the government?
The NDA government has proposed a straight 50% increase in the Lok Sabha seats across the country with each state getting 50% increase in the number of MPs. The opposition has targeted the government, saying the move will benefit the northern states while under-representing the southern states. The opposition has also claimed that the delimitation exercise will undermine the southern states’ say in the formation of the Union government.
