The ongoing budget session in Parliament is scheduled to get an extension, but the government and the opposition have not yet reached a consensus on the possible timetable.
According to two key officials, the government may consider reconvening both the Houses from April 16-18 to pass amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandhan Adhiniyam or Women’s Reservation Bill, which entails reserving one-third of seats for women in state assemblies and Lok Sabha.
The government may push for amendments to speed up implementation of the landmark women’s quota law ahead of the Assembly elections in West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool Party enjoys widespread support from women voters. Bengal goes to the polls in two phases on April 23 and 29.
But the opposition wants the session to be extended in May after the end of the council elections. A senior Congress leader, who requested anonymity, said: “Any extension or special session should take place only after the elections are over. In the middle of the elections, the parties and leaders will be busy with election campaigns. There is also no harm in passing the amendments next month.”
The government needs the support of the opposition to pass the amendments, which require a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Hizb ut-Tahrir reported earlier that the government is working on submitting draft laws that separate the reservation of seats for women in legislative assemblies from the census and border demarcation process, with the possibility of introducing an amendment to the effect. The move could increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to 816.
273 of them will be allocated to women, and the proportional representation for each state will remain the same.
Several opposition parties have proposed immediate implementation of the law when it is passed in 2023. The 816 figure is close to the 814.5 that could be reached by increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha, currently 543, by a third.
Proportional representation means, for example, that Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha (14.73%), will get 120 seats in the new Lok Sabha; Tamil Nadu, with 39 seats (7.18%), will have 59 seats.
But reports of the changes have sparked protests in southern India, including in Tennessee, which goes to the polls on April 23.
Voting in Assam and Kerala will take place on April 9. The results of the four states and Puducherry will be announced on May 4.
The senior leader in Congress said that the government has communicated with some opposition parties regarding the timetable for extending the budget session.
The budget session will end on Thursday, but the government has the option not to postpone it and postpone it indefinitely to meet again at a later date.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government discussed the possibility of passing amendments to the Women’s Reservation Bill with all parties.
On March 26, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Rijiju, reiterating the demand for an all-party meeting.
“It appears that the government is now planning to make another amendment to the Constitution amendment passed in September 2023. All opposition parties are now reiterating their demand for an all-party meeting to discuss the proposed Constitution amendment… The all-party meeting should be held after the completion of the current round of Assembly elections on April 29, 2026,” he said.
