Govt. Mulls Special Session to Pass Bill on Delimitation, Pg13

Key Highlights:

• The Centre plans to convene a Special Session of Parliament to pass the Delimitation Bill, 2026.
• The Bill is linked to operationalizing the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023.
• It proposes to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to a maximum of 850, based on the 2011 Census.
• The government needs 361 votes to secure a two-thirds majority for the Constitution Amendment Bill.

Detailed Insights:

• The proposed increase in Lok Sabha strength is intended to facilitate the implementation of 33% reservation for women in Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies.
• A previous attempt to pass a similar Constitution Amendment Bill failed in April during the Budget Session due to a lack of required votes.
• The Monsoon Session of Parliament has remained unprorogued for 91 days, enabling the government to call a Special Session on short notice.
• Earlier discussions with Opposition parties had included a proposal to increase seats for all States by 50% to maintain inter-State ratios based on the 1971 Census.
• The current focus on the 2011 Census for delimitation could lead to shifts in the proportional representation of states in the Lok Sabha.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Delimitation Bill: Legislation aimed at redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies to reflect population changes.
• Women’s Reservation Act, 2023: An Act reserving one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, contingent on a future delimitation exercise.
• Special Session: A parliamentary session called for a specific, urgent legislative purpose outside the regular schedule of Parliament.
• Prorogation: The formal termination of a parliamentary session by the President, which requires a new summons for the next session.