The NDA government’s decision to keep the Monsoon Session of Parliament 'unprorogued' had fuelled speculation about an extended or a special sitting to consider the proposed amendment.
Such a possibility in still and therein the Centre may try to pass Women's Quota Bill and also take up Delimitation Bill.
The fresh draft is learnt to have proposed keeping the existing inter-state seat ratios intact based on the 1971 Census. On April 16, Union Home Minister Amit Shah intervened in Lok Sabha during discussion and addressed concerns regarding the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026.
He had assured the southern states that they will not face any reduction in parliamentary representation.
The government needs 361 votes to secure a two-thirds majority for the passage of the Constitution amendment bill. The House of 543 has three vacancies.
The proposed amendment seeks to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from the present 543 seats to a maximum of 850 through delimitation, paving the way for the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislative assemblies.
In April this year, the Modi Govt was left red-faced when the Constitution amendment bill failed to secure the required numbers in the Lok Sabha during a special sitting of the Budget Session.
The possibility of convening Parliament at short notice has remained alive as the Monsoon Session, during which both Houses were adjourned sine die (for an indefinite period) on August 13, has not yet been prorogued.
The session has remained unprorogued for 91 days now, breaking the previous record of 87 days set in 2008. An extended sitting within the existing session requires a minimum notice of two days, while convening a fresh session requires at least 14 days’ notice.
The government proposed to increase Lok Sabha seats for all states by 50 per cent to assuage concerns of southern states as it seeks to operationalise the women’s reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls.
The Govt has said that under the 50% increase model, the current 543 seats in the Lok Sabha will rise to 816, leading to an increase in the number of seats for all southern states. Union Home Minister added that the existing 129 seats of the southern states in the Lok Sabha will increase to 195, and their share in the total seats of the House will remain almost the same at around 24 per cent.
In April Shah has said said that in the present House of 543 members, Karnataka currently has 28 members, which is about 5.15 per cent of the total.
After the passage of the proposed bills and the constitutional amendment, the number of seats for Karnataka will increase from 28 to 42. In that case, in a Lok Sabha of 816 members, Karnataka’s representation will remain around 5.14 per cent, therefore, Karnataka will not suffer any loss.
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