New Delhi: The Monsoon Session of Parliament is set to begin on July 20, with both the government and the opposition poised to play crucial roles. The Modi government at the Centre may introduce several significant bills during this session, all of which are attracting keen attention. Among them, the Delimitation Bill is arguably the most important. The government is striving to secure the two-thirds majority required to pass this bill, and it now appears likely to receive support from the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena.
Party leader Sanjay Raut has already hinted at this possibility. On Thursday, Raut stated that while opposition parties would generally oppose the proposed Delimitation Bill, they might consider supporting it if the government incorporates their suggested amendments. Before this, Supriya Sule, a leader from the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, had made a similar statement, raising questions about opposition unity.
Supriya Sule’s Significant Statement
A day earlier, Supriya Sule of the NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction had said that her party might support the bill in the Lok Sabha if the government acceded to their demands. Following Sule, Sanjay Raut also issued a positive statement regarding the Delimitation Bill while speaking to reporters in Nagpur.
He was discussing the matter in the context of the ‘Ram Raksha Andolan’ (Ram Protection Movement) organised by the Shiv Sena to protest against alleged irregularities in donations received for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Notably, Supriya Sule, the working president of the NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction, had remarked on Wednesday that there would be no compelling reason to oppose the Delimitation Bill, a key legislative agenda item for the NDA government that proposes a uniform 50 per cent increase in seats across the relevant states.
When Does the Monsoon Session Begin?
The Monsoon Session of Parliament is scheduled to commence on July 20 and will run until August 13. The bill proposes increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats to 850 and initiating the delimitation process. Responding to a question about Sule’s remarks, Raut stated that no decision has been taken on the matter yet.
The bill is scheduled to be introduced during this session. He said that once the bill is tabled, they would sit together and decide on the course of action; a collective decision would be taken. He added, “But today, you are spreading rumours that the party will split, that MLAs and MPs will be poached to demonstrate a majority, and so on. There is no basis for these claims.
Patil Makes a Major Claim
Patil is considered a prominent member of the NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction and a key leader of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. Raut dismissed the speculations, stating that he did not find any truth in them. He alleged that rumours regarding the Shiv Sena were being spread by the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction to divert attention from core issues.
What Did Sanjay Raut Say?
Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut mentioned that he had spoken with Sule. She is expected to clarify the matter during a press conference on Thursday. The Shiv Sena (UBT) currently has three MPs; in total, the faction is left with six MPs. Nine Shiv Sena MPs had won in the 2024 elections, but recently, six of them broke away to join Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
