NDA eyes constitutional triple push

Govt is preparing to move Delimitation, One Nation One Election bills in the Monsoon Session

Amidst the ongoing bids by the BJP to strengthen the NDA to a two-third majority in Parliament ahead of the Monsoon Session, the Union Government is keen on bringing three key legislations — the redrafted Delimitation Bill, One Nation One Election (ONOE) and a constitutional amendment seeking automatic removal of a Prime Minister or Chief Minister if they remain under arrest for 30 days or more in connection with specified serious offences, including corruption-related cases. The Monsoon Session of the Parliament is likely to begin from July 21.

The bill on automatic removal of PM, CM introduced during the Monsoon Session last year, was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination amid strong Opposition from several political parties. The JPC is expected to table its report at the beginning of the Monsoon Session, after which the Government is likely to move the legislation for consideration and passage. As a constitutional amendment, the Bill has to be passed by a two-thirds majority of members present in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

The NDA’s political arithmetic in the Parliament is getting stronger with more defections in the days to come, which will strengthen the alliance’s position on Constitutional amendment bills, which also includes the Delimitation Bill again and the ONOE Bill. Sources said the BJP-led NDA Government is also preparing to bring in six other fresh bills, including an amendment to the disaster management law and a new aviation statute.

Ahead of the five Assembly elections this year, the BJP-led Government had introduced the Delimitation Bill as The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which was voted down (298 for, 230 against) in the Lower House.

The Government is now redrafting the proposed legislation and engaging in renewed consultations with Opposition parties (such as the DMK and regional parties) to secure the two-thirds majority required for the passage of these Constitution amendment bills.

Following the West Bengal Assembly election, in which the BJP secured a landslide victory, 20 TMC MLAs joined a Tripura-based political party supporting the NDA. Recently, six MPs from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena merged with Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, boosting the NDA’s strength. As a result, the alliance’s tally has risen to around 330 seats, although it still remains short of the two-thirds majority required to pass a constitutional amendment. The BJP is also waiting for the DMK’s move, which has fallen apart in the Congress-led INDIA bloc. The NDA’s position has also improved in the Rajya Sabha.

Seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs have joined the BJP, taking the NDA’s strength to 141 members in the 242-member House. With the support of 10 nominated and Independent members, the alliance’s assured tally rises to 151-comfortably above the simple majority but still 11 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for a constitutional amendment. The focus is also on regional parties.