Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 15: The Winter Session of Parliament is likely to begin in the first week of December, with the Union government considering the possibility of extending or reconvening the unprorogued Monsoon Session instead of convening a fresh session, according to reliable sources.
The government is expected to push for a constitutional amendment Bill linking women's reservation to delimitation of constituencies.
The proposed legislation aims to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha to accommodate the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women.
The Monsoon Session was adjourned sine die on August 13, 2026, but has remained unprorogued for more than 90 days. This has left open the possibility of convening an extended or special sitting at short notice to consider the proposed constitutional amendment.
While an extended sitting of the existing session requires a minimum notice of two days, a fresh session can be convened only after giving at least 14 days' notice.
The passage of a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority of members present and voting. This translates into 361 votes based on the current strength of 540 sitting Lok Sabha members.
With the ruling NDA having around 320 members, the government will need the support of some opposition parties to secure the required majority for the Bill.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has maintained that the proposed Delimitation Bill, 2026, will not disadvantage southern states but will instead benefit them.
He said that under the proposed 50 per cent increase model, the Lok Sabha's strength would rise from the existing 543 seats to 816, resulting in an increase in the number of seats for all southern states.
Shah pointed out that the southern states' existing 129 Lok Sabha seats would increase to 195, while their share in the total strength of the House would remain almost unchanged at around 24 per cent. The government is expected to use these figures to build support for the Bill.
Meanwhile, senior political leaders expect the session to witness intense confrontations, with possible disruptions to parliamentary proceedings as the Opposition has intensified its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The Congress, Left parties and the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress have stepped up demands for the CEC's removal following the controversy surrounding the conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.