Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has approved the merger of 6 rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs into the Shinde faction. With this the strength of Shinde faction has increased to 13. At the same time, 20 MPs who rebelled against Trinamool Congress have also been allotted separate seats.
Big rift between Shiv Sena and TMC
New Delhi [भारत]July 18 (ANI): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday approved the merger of six rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs into Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. With this, Shiv Sena’s strength has increased to 13, while the number of UBT Sena members in the Lok Sabha has reduced to three.
Besides this, the Speaker also approved separate seating arrangements in the Lok Sabha for 20 MPs who have defected from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has announced its merger with the regional party, Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). However, the Speaker has not yet approved the merger of rebel TMC MPs.
Last month, rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar led a total of 20 MPs and announced a merger with a regional NCPI. Shiv Sena (UBT) has also seen a split, with six Lok Sabha MPs joining the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Earlier, seven Rajya Sabha MPs from Aam Aadmi Party had joined BJP.
Growing strength of NDA and speculations about bringing the bill
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) currently has 298 seats in the Lok Sabha, including the Speaker. If the Speaker approves the merger between TMC rebels and NCPI, the NDA strength will be reduced to 318.
The NDA is likely to move closer to the two-third majority mark of 360 in the 540-member House, in which three seats are currently vacant. These mergers have fueled speculation of the Center bringing back the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposes to enact the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023’ to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to 850 and provide 33 per cent reservation to women in legislatures.
According to sources, the Center may bring back the bill, in an attempt to allay apprehensions by assuring a uniform 50 percent increase in Lok Sabha seats across states. With the NDA inching closer to majority and the DMK no longer part of the ‘India’ alliance, the Center is eyeing passage of the bill, which was defeated in April even after garnering 298 votes. (ANI)
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