Modi Govt. To Table Delimitation, Women’s Quota Bills Today In Parliament

New Delhi: The historic bills to implement 33 per cent women’s quota in legislature, delimitation and the one to increase the seats for Union Territories, will be tabled in parliament today. The government plans to implement quota before 2029 Lok Sabha polls.

The “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam” ties quota for women with delimitation and the last census. The Centre plans to proceed with the 2011 census data for delimitation and implementation of one-third reservation for women legislators.

Barring the delimitation bill that would set up a commission for redrawing constituencies, the other two are Constitution amendment bills that need a special majority of two-thirds of those present and voting to get passed. Any walkout or abstention by the Opposition will bring down the majority mark.

A concerted fight by the Opposition can make things difficult for the government in both houses of parliament. With an effective strength of 537 in the Lok Sabha, the two-thirds mark stands at 360. The ruling NDA which has 293 members, falls short by 67 seats.

The magic number for the Rajya Sabha is 163 and the NDA’s strength of 142-plus members leaves it 21 seats short of majority mark.

The Opposition said though it approves of the women’s quota bill, the government’s move to tie it up with delimitation in time for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections has compelled them to oppose the bills.

The government’s formula for redrawing constituencies based on the 2011 census will only aid the NDA, the Opposition has contended. It would also reduce the southern states to the fringes of parliament, it has argued.

“One of the BJP’s dangerous plans is to “gerrymander” all Lok Sabha seats to its advantage for the 2029 elections. The proposed Bills remove all Constitutional safeguards on delimitation, giving full power to the Delimitation Commission which the govt itself will appoint and direct,” Congress’s Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.

Following delimitation and a proportional increase, the number in the Lok Sabha can increase to 815 under the bill, for Union Territories, the number is 35.  At present, there are 530 Lok Sabha members from states and 20 from UTs.

Adding to the government’s hurdles, parties such as Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal and K Chandrasekhar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi which extended issue-based support to the government, have hardened their stance on delimitation.

The government has claimed that it has the numbers. “I am not going into politics of which party is saying what. No party is opposing the women’s reservation in parliament and assemblies. In principle and in spirit, everybody is together,” said Union minister Kiren Rijiju.