Govt Reaches Out To Opposition For Special Session On Delimitation Bill Ahead Of Navratri

Is the Government reaching out to the Opposition for a special session of Parliament to pass the Delimitation Bill? Sources say Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju’s office has reached out to Congress chief and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge to see whether a session can be held before October 11, when Navratri begins. It is learnt that Rahul Gandhi is in no mood to help PM Narendra Modi to pass the delimitation bill to usher in women’s quota. The talk is that the government may also consider holding it during Navratri, citing the festival’s association with the worship of Goddess Durga and its symbolism around women’s empowerment. The Govt’s efforts are to secure the two-thirds majority required to pass the Constitutional Amendment Bill. Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die on August 13. A few days ago, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the government had broken its previous record for the longest delay in proroguing both Houses. In response, Kharge wrote to Rijiju, reiterating the demand that the government convene an all-party meeting and disclose the proposed agenda before deciding. The issue of delimitation has remained a major political flashpoint, with the Congress demanding that the Lok Sabha’s existing strength of 543 seats be frozen for the next 25 years and that 33% reservation for women be implemented from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. On April 17, during the Budget session, the Constitutional amendment bill (to implement women’s reservation before the 2029) was defeated in the Lok Sabha. The buzz is that the government has opened channels with the DMK, which has 22 Lok Sabha MPs, to vote for the Bill. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the government has a two-thirds majority. Recently, DMK MP Kanimozhi, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar met fuelling speculation over opposition consultations on delimitation.