Highlights
- The government is likely to reintroduce the Delimitation Bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
- Monsoon Session of Parliament will be held from July 20 to August 13.
- Any constitutional amendment requires the support of at least 360 MPs, or a two-thirds majority.
Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, political activity surrounding the Delimitation Bill has gathered momentum. The Modi government was unable to pass the bill during the previous session due to a lack of a two-thirds majority. With political equations having shifted since then, speculation has intensified that the government may reintroduce the bill, which proposes to raise the number of Lok Sabha seats to 850 and initiate delimitation, during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, to be held from July 20 to August 13. However, there is no official confirmation of any plans for the bill to be reintroduced.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to pass the Lok Sabha floor test on April 17, 2026. The bill, which aimed to expand parliamentary seats and fast-track the 33% women's reservation, received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling significantly short of the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of members present and voting.
It is pertinent to mention that the government needs a special two-thirds majority in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Lok Sabha numbers game
The Lok Sabha currently has 540 members, and any constitutional amendment requires the support of at least 360 MPs, or a two-thirds majority. At present, the NDA commands the support of 298 MPs (including 4 MPs of YSRCP). 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs have merged themselves with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), while six MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) joined Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. With this, the NDA's strength would rise to 324, still leaving it 36 votes short of the required majority.
Political speculation has also centred on the possibility of 22 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MPs and eight MPs from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) extending support to the government. If that happens, the NDA's tally could reach 354. Even then, the government would remain six votes short of the two-thirds mark. In such a scenario, the role of smaller parties and independent MPs could be crucial.
Supriya Sule mentions 50% seat increase formula
Earlier on Wednesday, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule clarified that the reports circulating regarding the party's role are based on sources, and the party has not issued any official statement.
"We cannot say anything until the new bill is introduced. We have passed the Women's Reservation Bill with a full majority," she said. Sule said if delimitation is based on population, it could result in an injustice to the southern states, and a proposal for a 50 percent formula for every state was put forward by Amit Shah and Kiren Rijiju. "Under this formula, the number of seats in Maharashtra would increase from 48 to 72," she said.
Speaking to the media, Supriya Sule said that if the proposed Delimitation Bill includes a provision to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats across the country by 50%, her party would consider supporting the proposal.
She said the option was discussed during the all-party meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. However, she clarified that the party would take an official stand only after the final draft of the bill is made public.
Sule also rubbished the merger reports of the NCP-SP with any political party. "We were merged first into the Congress and then into the BJP; now, only the MNS remains. None of our leaders have ever spoken about joining the NDA, and we will not join the NDA," she said.
"All eight MPs of NCP (SP) and all our MLAs stand together. NCP is a party where Sharad Pawar not only leads but also invests in every member and listens to everyone," she added.
Difficulty for the INDIA alliance?
Supriya Sule's statement has sparked renewed debate within the opposition INDIA alliance. Political attention is now focused on whether Sharad Pawar and the DMK will support the government's proposal or whether the opposition will remain united. However, Supriya Sule completely dismissed speculation about joining the NDA and stated that her party will take major political decisions only in coordination with the INDIA alliance.
If the delimitation bill is introduced in Parliament's monsoon session, which begins on Monday, it could prove to be the biggest test of the current political climate. It will be interesting to see whether the Modi government is able to achieve the two-thirds majority mark this time or not.
