NEW DELHI: Although the delimitation bill does not feature among the five bills initially scheduled for introduction in the Monsoon Session, BJP sources on Saturday indicated that the government may spring a surprise by bringing it forward later in the session, along with the listed legislative business.
The Centre has identified five bills for introduction during the three-week sitting of Parliament, with the delimitation bill absent from the official agenda. The legislation had earlier been presented together with the women’s reservation bill as part of a broader legislative package through the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill. During the three-day special session of Parliament convened in April, the proposal failed to secure the constitutionally mandated two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.
Political equations have shifted since then. Against the backdrop of changing dynamics within the Opposition, signs of fluctuating unity among several parties and a number of recent defections, the NDA thinks that the parliamentary arithmetic may now be more favourable for giving a fresh push to the delimitation bill.
“The ruling alliance has begun internal discussions, albeit discretely, on making a renewed attempt to move the delimitation bill during the course of the Monsoon Session, though it has not been included in the initial legislative agenda,” a senior BJP leader said. “The strategy rests on the expectation that some Opposition parties could either abstain from voting or extend support to the bill,” the leader said.