INDIA bloc meets to strategise on Women's Reservation, Delimitation

Opposition's INDIA bloc met to plan its strategy for the special Parliament session, focusing on the Women's Reservation and Delimitation Bills. Concerns were raised over the proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850.

INDIA Bloc's Strategy Meeting

Opposition parties under the INDIA bloc met in the Parliament premises on Thursday to chalk out their strategy for the special session, focusing on their stand on the Women's Reservation Bill and the proposed delimitation Bill.

Opposition parties are set to bills, including those on women's reservation and delimitation, in both Houses of Parliament. Three important bills are likely to be introduced in the special session of Parliament starting today, including one to reserve seats for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and another to redraw constituency boundaries. The opposition is raising concerns about the reasons for changing these boundaries and increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to a maximum of 850.

Key Bills on the Agenda

The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, are slated to be introduced by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, by Home Minister Amit Shah.

The government has convened a special sitting of Parliament on April 16,17,18 to pass the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

Procedural Motion to Expedite Bills

The Law Minister is also slated to move a proposal in the Lok Sabha to suspend the provisions of Rule 66 with the objective of passing the Women's Reservation Amendment Bill and the Delimitation Bill together.

The motion states that the this House "do suspend the proviso to rule 66 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha in its application to the motions for taking into consideration and passing of the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in as much as these are dependent upon the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026".

Government Seeks Unanimous Support

The government has been seeking opposition support for passing the amendment bill to implement the women's reservation bill from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls on the basis of the 2011 census.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged opposition parties to support the amendment to ensure the women's reservation comes into effect from the 2029 general elections. "This is the wish of every sister and daughter of this country, and we must fulfil it with unanimity," he said at an event in Dehradun on Tuesday. (ANI)

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