Centre May Call Special Parliament Session on Women’s Quota
Government reportedly explores support from the DMK and smaller parties to revive bills linking women’s reservation with delimitation.
- Centre may call a special session this month
- Government seeks DMK and smaller parties’ support
- Women’s quota bill earlier failed in Lok Sabha
- Two-thirds majority needed for constitutional amendment
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 16th Oct: The Centre may convene a special session of Parliament later this month to revive legislation related to delimitation and women’s reservation, amid continuing Opposition protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The government is reportedly confident of improving its numbers in Parliament and is reaching out to regional and smaller parties to build support for the proposed bills. Discussions are said to be underway with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which has 22 MPs, following its reported split with the Congress after the Tamil Nadu elections.
The proposed session could come after the government suffered a setback during the Budget session on April 17, when a Constitution Amendment Bill linking delimitation with the implementation of women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies failed to secure the required support in the Lower House.
The DMK has strongly opposed delimitation, citing concerns over its potential impact on southern states. However, the government is reportedly engaging with the party and other smaller political groups in an effort to secure the numbers needed to pass the legislation.
Sources indicate that the timing of the session will be decided around the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, scheduled at Samvidhan Sadan on October 26 and 27. A notice of about one week may be issued before the session is convened.
The government is also reportedly counting on possible support from the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), which has eight MPs. Party leader Supriya Sule had earlier indicated a willingness to discuss the proposal if a guaranteed 50 per cent increase in seats across the board was included in the bill.
A constitutional amendment requires a special majority in both Houses of Parliament, meaning two-thirds of members present and voting must support it. Although the NDA has a majority in the Lok Sabha, it remains short of the required two-thirds threshold. The government is reportedly hopeful that recent political realignments and negotiations could improve its position.
