DMK Lays Down Conditions to Support Delimitation Bill, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has outlined three conditions for supporting the Centre's proposed constitutional amendment Bill for a fresh delimitation exercise.
• The DMK demands extending the constitutional freeze on Lok Sabha seats, currently based on the 1971 Census, for an additional 25 years.
• Other conditions include a 50% blanket increase in Lok Sabha seats for all states and a specific Schedule of seat numbers per state in the legislative package.
• The Centre is actively engaging with opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress, to secure the necessary two-thirds majority for the constitutional amendment.

Detailed Insights:

• The existing freeze on Lok Sabha seats, established using the 1971 Census data, is scheduled to conclude after the next Census, anticipated in 2027.
• Home Minister Amit Shah had previously made a verbal commitment regarding a 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats when the delimitation legislative package was introduced.
• Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has held discussions with opposition leaders to build consensus and support for the upcoming Bill.
• An earlier attempt to pass a delimitation-related measure, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, was defeated in the Lok Sabha in April due to insufficient parliamentary support.
• The government's numerical strength in Parliament has reportedly increased since April, bolstered by support from the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction).
• A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority of members present and voting in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• The proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats to 850, following fresh delimitation, is linked to the implementation of 33% reservation for women.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Delimitation: The process of redrawing boundaries of electoral constituencies to ensure equitable representation based on population.
• Constitutional Amendment Bill: A legislative proposal to modify the Constitution of India, requiring a special majority in Parliament for its passage.
• Lok Sabha Seats Freeze: A temporary suspension of increasing the number of parliamentary seats allocated to states, often aimed at encouraging population control.
• Two-thirds majority: A special voting threshold in Parliament, requiring the support of two-thirds of the members present and voting, and more than 50% of the total membership.