Now Reading: 10-day prorogation delay fuels delimitation bill buzz
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10-day prorogation delay fuels delimitation bill buzz
Ten days after both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on August 13, the Monsoon session has not been formally prorogued, sparking speculation that the government may seek to pass a…
Ten days after both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on August 13, the Monsoon session has not been formally prorogued, sparking speculation that the government may seek to pass a key constitutional amendment without convening a new session. The Budget session was prorogued two days after it ended in April. Usually, prorogation follows within three to four days.
The speculation centres on a bill to amend the women's reservation law and implement it before the 2029 general elections. An earlier attempt in the Budget session failed. The government is also said to be working on a formula to increase Lok Sabha seats across states and Union territories by a uniform 50 percent to assuage southern opposition parties worried that population-based delimitation would reduce their strength.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh questioned the delay, saying past gaps of up to 28 days had no 'diabolical' intent. Tamil Nadu CM Joseph Vijay raised the issue at a Southern Zonal Council meeting on August 21, asking for a legislative assurance that no state would lose representation for success in population control. Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar demanded that the current 543 Lok Sabha seats be retained for 25 years.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The delay in prorogation is procedurally unusual but not unprecedented: the monsoon session of 2015 saw a 28-day gap. What is different is the political context. Delimitation based on the 2031 census could redraw Lok Sabha constituencies using population data, which would likely reduce seats for southern states that have lower fertility rates. A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in each House, and the government currently falls short in the Rajya Sabha. The buzz that the government might try to attach the delimitation clause to the women's reservation bill would need a special session or a gap prorogation to pass it as a new bill. The next formal opportunity to introduce legislation is the Winter session, unless the president summons a special sitting.
Source: rediff.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
