Amid intensifying Opposition protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the government is likely to convene a special session of Parliament later this month to take up constitutional amendment bills related to delimitation and women's reservation, with government sources claiming that Centre has the numbers required to secure their passage in the Lok Sabha.
Sources have told, the government is confident of its strength on the floor of the House and is preparing to push the proposed legislation, even as it reaches out to Opposition parties to consolidate support ahead of a possible vote.
The proposed move comes months after the Modi government suffered a setback during the Budget Session on April 17, when a Constitution amendment bill linked to delimitation and the implementation of women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was defeated in the Lower House.
A constitutional amendment requires a special majority in Parliament. While the NDA has a majority in the current Lok Sabha, it falls short of the two-thirds majority required, which is around 360 seats.
The Lower House currently has 540 members, but the government's position has strengthened since the last session, with 20 Trinamool Congress MPs and six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs having switched to the ruling side.
According to sources, the Centre is in talks with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to secure its support for the bills. The outreach comes after the regional party's split with the Congress following the Tamil Nadu elections and its subsequent exit from the INDIA bloc.
The government is also in touch with some smaller Opposition parties as it seeks to shore up its numbers ahead of a possible vote, sources added.
The Monsoon Session of Parliament, which concluded on August 13, has not yet been prorogued, leaving room for the government to convene a special sitting.
The dates are expected to be finalised keeping in mind the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, scheduled to be held at Samvidhan Sadan on October 26 and 27.
Sources said a week's notice may be given before the special sitting is convened.
Source: India Today