Parliament special session LIVE: Stalin burns delimitation bill copy; Congress calls proposal ‘destructive’

A special sitting of Parliament’s Budget Session begins on Thursday, with three major and widely debated bills set to be introduced.

The session will run from April 16 to 18 and will take up The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, The Delimitation Bill, 2026, and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The government is seeking opposition backing for the constitutional amendment, which aims to implement women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha from the 2029 general elections, based on the 2011 Census.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for consensus, saying the move reflects the aspirations of women across the country. “This is the wish of every sister and daughter of this country, and we must fulfil it with unanimity,” he said at an event in Dehradun.

Opposition backs quota, flags concerns

While opposition parties have expressed support for women’s reservation, they have raised strong objections to the Delimitation Bill. Concerns centre on the proposed redrawing of constituencies and a possible increase in Lok Sabha seats from 543 to around 850.

Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge chaired a meeting of opposition leaders to discuss their stance.

“We are all in favour of the Women’s Reservation Bill, but the way in which it has been brought raises concerns,” Kharge said, adding that opposition parties have consistently supported such measures in the past, including in 2010 and 2023.