Bills for women's reservation, delimitation, and reforms in the electoral structure have been introduced in the special session of Parliament. The government describes these as necessary reforms, while the opposition has termed them a political move. The Prime Minister described women's reservation as a right of women, while voting on this is also scheduled for 4 PM today. The special session of Parliament is scheduled to last for three days, and today is the second day in this regard. Discussions here will focus on major changes in the country's electoral system. The government is talking about changes in women's reservation, delimitation, and the electoral structure, while the opposition is calling it a political move.
Introduction of Bills and Intense Debate
The atmosphere heated up as soon as the Lok Sabha session began on the first day, while law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal started the process of introducing the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026 and the Delimitation Bill 2026. Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah placed the Union Territories Law (Amendment) Bill 2026 in the House. The government says these changes will strengthen the electoral system, but the opposition opposed it from the beginning and called it a political move. Following this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on women's reservation. He said that giving representation to women is their right, not a favor. He also said that it's necessary to involve half of the country's population in the decision-making process. The opposition also raised questions on the government's proposals.
Opposition's Objections and Government's Response
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that they aren't against women's reservation, but linking it with delimitation isn't right. He alleged that the government wants to take political advantage of this issue. Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party raised the issue of census and caste counting. He asked why there is a delay in the census. To this, Home Minister Amit Shah replied that the census process has started and counting will also be done on the basis of caste. During this, a sharp debate was also seen between the two sides. After about 18 hours of debate, voting is now to be held today at 4 PM. The government currently doesn't have full numbers, but it has tried to reassure the states.
Parliamentary Arithmetic and Seat Equations
For a constitutional amendment, two-thirds of the members present and voting (which shouldn't be less than half of the House's total capacity of 543 members) is necessary. That's, it will be passed by a special majority. Currently, the composition consists of 541 members. For any constitutional amendment, 360 votes will be required in the Lok Sabha, provided all present members vote.