BJP sources said the new constitutional amendment Bill will be brought in Parliament during the upcoming session only after ensuring that the government has a two-thirds majority for its passage.
With 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha members pledging their support to the NDA and six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs joining the NDA’s ally Shiv Sena, the ruling alliance’s tally in the Lok Sabha could rise from the existing 293 members to 319 if Speaker Om Birla deems these crossovers valid. However, even this number is below the required 360 for a two-thirds majority if all MPs are present and voting in the House.
So the BJP is now trying to get Opposition parties like the NCP (SP), which has eight MPs, on board, sources said, adding that the party is optimistic that some non-NDA MPs may also abstain when the Bill is put to vote.
The Opposition camp has maintained that such attempts by the Narendra Modi government would not succeed.
“Despite misusing the central agencies to break the parties and offering everything possible to individual MPs, BJP cannot bulldoze this constitutional amendment Bill. The parties are very concerned about the attempts the BJP is making. They (BJP) are definitely trying their best, but are not going to succeed,” senior Congress MP and party general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal told The Indian Express.
The BJP leadership has been in discussions with the DMK, which the treasury benches expects to “abstain if not vote in favour of the Bill”. The DMK has yet to take a decision about its stand, even as it has already sought separate seating from the Congress benches in the Lok Sabha after the latter joined hands with Vijay’s TVK to form a government following the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. The DMK, which was ousted from power by the TVK, had earlier led a campaign over the delimitation issue, arguing that an exercise just on the basis of census data would be an “injustice” to the southern states that have succeeded in controlling population.
Sources in the DMK said the government has reached out to the party leadership to find a “middle path”. “We have concerns and we have conveyed it to them (BJP). As far as we know, the government is ready to address them positively. Now, there is no such issue that we cannot resolve. We are hopeful that they will come up with a solution,” said a senior DMK leader.
Acknowledging the discussions between the government and her party over the issue, DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi told The Indian Express: “We have raised some issues. Tamil Nadu’s interests will have to be protected. We will not allow the states to be punished for successfully implementing the population control measures.”
Outreach to Opposition
BJP sources said senior party leaders are “constantly in touch” with the regional leaders as well as individual MPs from the Opposition side, including from the Samajwadi Party (SP) and even the Congress. “Hectic efforts are beig made. But we will not hurry the Bill unless adequate and more numbers are ensured. We do not want to take any chances,” said a senior BJP leader.
The BJP has also been in backroom negotiations with the NCP (SP) to get its support for the proposed Bill, but the ruling party is wary of the Sharad Pawar-led outfit, sources said. “From our past experiences, there is a trust deficit issue when it comes to the NCP (SP). Our top leadership has respect for Sharad Pawar, but we have experienced last-minute flip from his party,” said a BJP leader.
Some Congress leaders say they are concerned that the BJP could soon manage to secure the numbers required to push the Bill through Parliament. “But we will not let it happen without a fight,” said a senior Congress MP.
“We have reached out to DMK for keeping the Opposition intact since the Opposition stood together to ensure the fall of the Bill in the Lok House in April. It was (DMK chief) M K Stalin who burnt the Bill and led the campaign against the government’s delimitation move. Congress MPs are not only from the South. We stood together for the Opposition unity,” the Congress MP said.
According to the Congress MP, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s fresh assertion that the state would not accept the delimitation Bill was a “message” for the DMK.
Addressing a public meeting in Karur last Friday, Vijay argued that the delimitation Bill would “weaken” the southern states’ representation in Parliament and reduce Tamil Nadu’s share in central funding. “If the DMK shifts its stand now, it will become Vijay’s biggest political weapon against that party,” said an Opposition leader.
Goverenment’s calculus
In the April special session, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 – meant to advance reservation of 33% seats for women in an expanded Lok Sabha and state Assemblies and facilitate delimitation of constituencies – was defeated in the Lok Sabha. Of the 528 members present in the House, 298 voted in favour of the Bill and 230 opposed it.
If the DMK’s 22 Lok Sabha MPs abstain and every other member in the House votes, the government would require 346 for a two-thirds majority. BJP sources say this target can be achieved.
According to BJP insiders, the decision of the Aparjitha Sarangi-led Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the 130th constitutional amendment Bill to replace its provision for automatic “removal” of ministers after a 30-day detention for serious offences with “suspension” could also be seen as a “softening of the government’s tough stance” for reaching out to the Opposition, especially the regional parties.
While retaining the clause that insists the ministers should demit office after 30 days of custody, the JPC has agreed for “softening” it on the basis of the suggestions given by several Opposition parties, state governments and law institutes.
In its draft report, the JPC is learnt to have added a sunset clause that says the suspension would lapse upon discharge, acquittal or failure of the prosecution within a defined period. This, sources said, was to address the Opposition’s concerns over possible misuse of the law.
“While retaining the clause to ensure transparency, the ruling party has to be seen accommodating the Opposition’s demands. It can be seen as an outreach to the regional parties for cooperation on other Bills too,” said a BJP leader, adding that “the delimitation Bill is a priority”.
In the Upper House, the BJP currently has 114 MPs which would rise to 117 as the party is set to win all the three Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal for which bypolls will be held on July 24. This will take the NDA strength in the 245-member House to 155, just nine short of the two-thirds mark of 164.
The BJP leadership has been in discussions with the DMK, which the treasury benches expects to “abstain if not vote in favour of the Bill”. (ANI/File) 
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