Why Has Parliament Session Not Ended? Delimitation, Women’s Quota Bill Fuel Fresh Speculation
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Delay in formally ending Parliament's Monsoon session has fuelled speculation over a possible Constitutional amendment linked to delimitation and women's reservation.
By Sakshi.
New Delhi, August 23: The Centre has not formally prorogued Parliament's Monsoon session 10 days after both Houses were adjourned sine die on August 13, fuelling speculation that the government may seek to pass a delimitation-linked Constitutional amendment on women's reservation without convening a fresh session.
Typically, the session is prorogued, or officially concluded, within three to four days. However, as of Sunday morning, the prorogation notice for the Monsoon session had not been issued.
The Budget session was prorogued on April 20 after concluding on April 18.
Presidential role.
The President formally prorogues a session of Parliament on the advice of the government, in accordance with constitutional norms.
There has been considerable speculation that the government may introduce a measure to amend the women's reservation law to ensure its implementation before the 2029 parliamentary elections.
A previous attempt during the Budget session had failed due to the government's inability to secure the required numbers. Opposition parties had expressed concerns that population-based delimitation could weaken their representation in the Lok Sabha, particularly in southern states.
The government has reportedly developed a plan to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats by a uniform 50% across states and Union territories to address these concerns.
There have been strong arguments that the government should seek to pass the Constitutional amendment bill after Independence Day.
Congress Questions Delay
On Sunday, the Congress questioned whether Union Home Minister Amit Shah was still seeking his "super-tainted" two-thirds majority to pass the delimitation-related Constitutional amendment bill in a special session. The party also questioned why the session had not been prorogued even 10 days after it was adjourned sine die.
The interval between the Lok Sabha's adjournment sine die and its prorogation is typically two to four days, although there have been several occasions when both have taken place on the same day, Congress national secretary Jairam Ramesh said.
Breaks between sessions
According to Ramesh, Parliament had remained in recess for 28 days in 2015 and 20 days in 2021. However, he said there were no "diabolical" actions taking place during those periods.
Speculation over the government's next move on the bill has continued following Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's discussion of the delimitation-related Women's Reservation Bill at the Southern Zonal Council meeting in Mahabalipuram on August 21, which was chaired by Shah.
Vijay's delimitation demand
"I urge the Union government to provide a clear legislative assurance that no state will suffer a reduction in its percentage of representation in Parliament on account of its success in population stabilisation," Vijay said.
His remarks suggested a shift from his earlier outright opposition to delimitation and followed a resolution he introduced in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on August 12.
Karnataka's demand
However, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who attended the Mahabalipuram meeting, insisted that the Centre retain the current strength of 543 Lok Sabha seats for the next 25 years.
(With Inputs from PTI)
