Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will chair a key opposition meeting on Wednesday to chalk out a joint strategy ahead of the special Parliament session, where bills on women’s reservation and delimitation are set to be taken up.
An internal meeting of the Indian National Congress will be held at Kharge’s residence at 12:30 pm, with leaders including Rahul Gandhi, K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh expected to deliberate on the government’s proposed legislations.
Later in the day, Kharge will host a broader opposition huddle at 3 pm. Several senior leaders are likely to attend, while some may send representatives due to ongoing state election commitments.
As the government circulated bills related to the women's quota law and delimitation among the MPs, the Congress commented that when the intent behind a bill is "mischievous" and its content "devious", the extent of damage to parliamentary democracy is enormous.
The number of Lok Sabha seats will be increased to up to 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise to be carried out based on the last published census.
According to the draft Constitution amendment bill, which will be introduced in the upcoming special sitting of Parliament, seats would also be increased in the state and Union Territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said, "When the intent behind a Bill is mischievous, and the content of it is devious, the extent of damage to parliamentary democracy is enormous."
The Budget Session of Parliament has been extended, and a special three-day sitting of the House has been convened from April 16 to 18, during which amendments to the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam', more commonly known as the Women's Reservation Act, will be brought for its implementation in 2029.
While elections in Puducherry, Assam and Kerala were held on April 9, polls in West Bengal would be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. In Tamil Nadu, polls will be held in a single phase on April 23.
(With inputs from PTI)
