Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge held a meeting with senior party leaders at his residence in Delhi on Wednesday to discuss strategy on the women’s reservation law and a proposed delimitation amendment, ahead of a special three-day sitting of the Parliament.
Kharge convened the party’s parliamentary strategy group, where leaders discussed both issues in detail after the government on Tuesday circulated bills related to the women’s quota law and delimitation among MPs.
Kharge will also chair a key opposition meeting later today to chalk out a joint strategy. Several senior leaders are likely to attend, while some may send representatives due to ongoing state election commitments.
Notably, the Congress has alleged that when the intent behind a bill is "mischievous" and its content "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.
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.
(With inputs from PTI)
