The Centre is planning a "special session" of Parliament to bring its flagship women's reservation Constitutional Amendment Bill (CAB) to the table again, nearly 100 days after the monsoon session was adjourned indefinitely in August this year.
Unlike in April, when it was struck down by the Opposition over delimitation concerns, the BJP-led Centre has declared that this time, the bill would pass in Parliament with 15-18 votes above the majority mark, a PTI report said, citing sources.
However, no dates or other details of the proposed session have been disclosed so far.
The majority mark for the passage of a Constitution Amendment Bill is 361—which symbolises 2/3rd of the strength of the 543-member Lok Sabha, which currently has three vacancies as of now.
Though the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre had managed to cross the simple majority condition, it failed to cross the special majority mark—of 363 at the time—touted as a win for the INDIA alliance in the Opposition.
In the months that followed, however, a number of leaders from regional parties such as the TMC, the AAP, and the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena all either defected to the NDA or offered support, modifying political equations in both Houses of the Parliament, which marked a major boost for the NDA's effective support.
The bill was not seen in the subsequent monsoon session of Parliament, which was then adjourned sine die (indefinitely) on August 13, 2026—and has still not been formally prorogued for a record 91 days.
This marks nearly 100 days that it has remained unprorogued, though the Constitution lists no specific time limit for Parliament sessions to be prorogued (formally terminated).
Now, despite the Opposition's April appeal that the women's quota and delimitation bills be de-linked, the Centre's proposed bill still seeks the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state Legislative Assemblies by means of the delimitation bill, which aims to boost the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850.
In any case, an extended sitting within the existing, unprorogued session requires a minimum notice of two days, while convening a fresh session requires at least 14 days' notice.
