Government weighs special session for women’s quota bill

The Union government is considering a special sitting of Parliament to advance a constitutional amendment tied to women’s reservation and delimitation, with unnamed government sources projecting a margin of 15 to 18 votes above the required majority. No official date or duration for the proposed sitting has been announced, and the reported vote estimate has not been independently confirmed.

The amendment would raise the Lok Sabha’s maximum strength from 543 to 850 seats through delimitation and enable 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state legislative assemblies. It would require 361 votes in the 543-member House, which currently has three vacancies. A similar bill failed to secure the required numbers during a special sitting of the Budget Session on April 17.

Government sources say one formula under consideration would increase the number of seats allocated to every state by 50% while retaining existing interstate seat ratios based on the 1971 Census. They have said that this is not a final decision. The proposed increase has been presented as a way to address concerns raised by southern states over delimitation.

The possibility of a sitting at shorter notice is...