Neerja Chowdhury's column: BJP's politics revolves around delimitation

The focus of the Monsoon Session was to be on the Delimitation Bill. Ahead of the session, which began on July 20, there were discussions that the ruling NDA was very close to getting a two-thirds majority in Parliament after the split between the TMC and the Shiv Sena (UBT). Buoyed by its victory in Bengal, the BJP had hoped to get the Women's Reservation Bill and the delimitation bill related to it passed, which was rejected in April this year. At the same time, many opposition leaders feared that the BJP wanted to pass this 'D' (delimitation) bill in a hurry, so that it could return to power for the fourth time in 2029 through the reorganization of constituencies. After the split between the TMC and the Shiv Sena, the NDA got the support of 26 additional MPs in the Lok Sabha. After this, the BJP strategists were holding 'Track-2' talks with the DMK. The DMK, which has 22 members in the Lok Sabha, broke away from the India alliance after the Congress ended its alliance with the DMK and supported TV. The NCP (SP), which has 8 MPs in the Lok Sabha, also seemed inclined to support the amended 'D' Bill. But after the protest by the students, the two parties were confused and said they would first look into the contents of the bill. It is not difficult to understand the reason for their changed stance. The agitating students demanding reforms in the education system have taken over the political discourse. After Delhi, students from Jharkhand also marched to the assembly facing lathicharge and water cannons. Students from Bihar are also on the path of agitation. In Prayagraj too, Rahul Gandhi's 'Vidyarthi Ki Goonj' programme received an unprecedented response. This should worry the ruling BJP, as the UP elections are just a few months away and Gen-G accounts for 28 per cent of the state's population. The Congress focused its attention on the Home Minister and demanded his resignation. Criticising the Home Minister for not coming to the House, the Congress first demanded that he make a statement on who had ordered the use of lathis and pellet guns on the students. When the Home Minister agreed to make a statement, Rahul Gandhi said that he did not want to hear it. The Congress may have assessed that the use of force against the protesters had weakened the image of the Home Minister. His non-appearance in the House further strengthened the perception that he was on the defensive. The Congress did not want this perception to be weakened. But the BJP again stepped up its mobilisation efforts in support of the 'D' Bill in the last week of the session. The Prime Minister met all the eight MPs of the NCP (SP) on August 10. To placate the opposition, the BJP also expressed its willingness to take a flexible stance on the FCRA Bill and agreed to send it to the JPC for wider discussion. But now the government is thinking of convening a special session of Parliament to consider the delimitation law. The provisions of the amended bill have not been officially made public, but they have been discussed with potential supporters like the DMK and NCP (SP). These include a proposal to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats uniformly by 50 per cent in all the states, which these parties had insisted on. The number of Lok Sabha seats is proposed to be increased from 543 to 850. This will allow women to get 33 per cent seats. There is talk in the power corridors of Delhi about the possibility that the DMK may indirectly support the delimitation bill by abstaining during the voting. The BJP is also in talks with JMM and YSR Congress. But despite this, the BJP will have to make more efforts to gain the confidence of passing it without any hindrance. (These are the author's own views)