New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government is considering convening a three-day special session of Parliament before the Winter Session to revive its proposal to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from the existing 543 seats to a maximum of 850 through a delimitation exercise, with government sources expressing confidence that the Constitution amendment Bill would clear the House by a margin of 15 to 18 votes.
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The government needs 361 votes to secure a two-thirds majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha, which currently has three vacancies. The proposed amendment seeks to pave the way for implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislative assemblies through an expansion of the strength of the Lok Sabha and a delimitation exercise.
Government sources said the ruling dispensation was confident of securing the numbers required to pass the legislation but did not disclose the dates or duration of the proposed session.
The latest indications of a possible special session emerged after Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly discussed the proposal informally with a group of journalists. According to Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, Shah indicated that a three-day special session would be convened shortly and that the government expected to get the Bills passed by a margin of 15-18 votes.
Reacting to the reported remarks, Ramesh accused the Home Minister of trying to create an impression that the government had secured the numbers necessary to push through the legislation.
"The Home Minister has revived the 'delimitation plantation' today while talking informally to a group of journalists. He told them this afternoon that a 3-day special session will soon be called and the Bills will be passed by a 15-18 vote margin," Ramesh said in a post on X.
The Congress leader said Shah had made a similar claim seven months ago but the government had suffered a defeat in the Lok Sabha on April 17, falling short of the required numbers by more than 50 votes. "He is the master of bluff and bluster. His bulldozer did not work then and will not work again," Ramesh added.
In April, the government had introduced the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, along with two related Bills, seeking to increase the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 and facilitate delimitation using the 2011 Census figures instead of waiting for the first Census conducted after 2026.
The Constitution Amendment Bill secured 298 votes in favour and 230 against in the Lok Sabha on April 17. It thus fell short of the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment, with 352 votes needed among the 528 members who voted. The government subsequently withdrew the two accompanying Bills.
The proposed exercise has triggered concerns, particularly among southern states, that a population-based redistribution of parliamentary seats could increase the political weight of northern states at their expense. The Opposition has demanded wider consultations and safeguards to ensure equitable representation.
Building on the earlier proposal, the fresh draft is learnt to favour retaining the existing inter-state seat ratios based on the 1971 Census while increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats in every state by 50 per cent. This is intended to address concerns raised by southern states over a possible loss of their relative political representation.
However, government sources said this was among the formulations under consideration and no final decision had been taken.
The possibility of convening Parliament at short notice remains open because the Monsoon Session, during which both Houses were adjourned sine die on August 13, has not yet been prorogued. The session has remained unprorogued for 91 days, surpassing the previous record of 87 days set in 2008.
An extended sitting of the existing session requires a minimum notice of two days, while convening a fresh session requires at least 14 days' notice.
The government's decision to keep the Monsoon Session unprorogued had fuelled speculation about an extended or special sitting to consider the proposed amendment.
The Constitution does not prescribe a specific timeframe for proroguing a House after it has been adjourned sine die. Nor does the continuation of a session without formal prorogation, by itself, amount to any constitutional or procedural impropriety.
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