Winter session of Parliament likely in Dec first week; govt may push women's quota bill

The opposition parties have intensified their protests over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition parties may take their protests to Parliament, leading to another stormy session.

The winter session of Parliament is likely to begin in the first week of December, with the government poised to push for the passage of a constitution amendment bill linking women's reservation to delimitation. The government is keen to push through the bill, which seeks to increase the Lok Sabha's strength from the existing 543 seats to a maximum of 850 through delimitation, paving the way for the implementation of a 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures before the 2029 general elections.

The probable final dates for the winter session are in discussion at the highest levels of the government, reported news agency PTI, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

However, securing numbers to ensure the passage of the crucial legislation remains a challenge for the government since the bill requires a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha, or 361 votes in the present 543-member House.

With three vacancies, the House has 540 members at present, which means the ruling NDA, which has 320 members, would need the support of opposition parties to cross the threshold.

The challenge appears tough, as opposition parties have intensified their protests over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition parties may take their protests to Parliament, leading to another stormy session.

The government, however, appears confident, as a senior functionary expressed confidence that the bill would pass with a margin of 15 to 18 votes.

The Monsoon session was adjourned sine die on August 13 and has remained unprorogued for 94 days, surpassing the previous record of 87 days set in 2008. The arrangement has kept open the possibility of an extended or special sitting to take up the proposed constitutional amendment at short notice.

An extended sitting of the existing session requires a minimum notice of two days, while convening a fresh session requires at least 14 days' notice. The government is said to be exploring the possibility of increasing Lok Sabha seats across states by 50 per cent to address concerns, particularly among southern states, over the implications of delimitation.

The proposed framework is also likely to retain the existing inter-state share of seats based on the 1971 Census, though a final decision still has not been arrived at.

The proposed legislation had earlier failed to muster the required numbers during a special sitting of Parliament on April 17.