New Delhi: After its failure to get the Delimitation Bill passed in Parliament, the Government is now planning to revive it and also push through the One Nation One Election Bill before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs is preparing a fresh Delimitation Bill after its attempt to pass the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty First Amendment) Bill, 2026 fell short of the required two-thirds majority in Lok Sabha in April, The Indian Express has quoted sources as saying.
This comes after the recently concluded Assembly elections, which dealt a severe blow to the TMC and DMK in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, dealing a severe blow to Opposition dynamics.
There are voices within the DMK that are open to negotiating “on specific issues” with the BJP after the party’s shock defeat in Tamil Nadu and its alliance partner – the Congress – moving to join the TVK government in the state, sources have claimed.
The BJP is also maintaining close watch on the alleged rift within the Trinamool Congress after its defeat in West Bengal. There is palpable anger within the party ranks after the loss, with many MLAs blaming the top leadership.
At the same time, the Government is working on formalising the One Nation One Election Bill, that seeks to synchronise Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. Currently, it is being reviewed by a 39-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
“The law will be amended soon. We are making good progress as far as the report is concerned, and we will submit the report in time,” JPC chairman P P Chaudhary told The Indian Express.
The JPC’s tenure has been extended until the first day of the last week of the Monsoon session.
This law’s rollout could be phased, given the varying terms of state assembliesx, another BJP leader said.
“For example, four states and a UT had elections just now. Seven states (UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, Manipur, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat) have assembly elections due in 2027. So there is a possibility of One Nation One Election being implemented in phases,” he said.
“The BJP has already approached the DMK, proposing changes to the present form of the (One Nation One Election) Bill to address the party’s concerns. The draft Bill will be shared with DMK leaders to seek their support,” sources said.
“Since the BJP and the DMK have been on opposite sides on a number of issues, coming together will be a gradual process. It will be issue-based at first,” a BJP leader familiar with the latest political developments in Tamil Nadu said.
A senior DMK leader has been quoted as saying: “On issues such as delimitation and One Nation One Election, the party’s position has always been guided by Tamil Nadu’s interests rather than ideology alone. If the Centre provides a credible assurance that states, which successfully implemented population control measures, will not be penalised in parliamentary representation, and if the existing representation ratio is protected through a mutually acceptable formula, there is no reason to reject a proposal… Our concern is safeguarding Tamil Nadu’s voice in Parliament.”
Other leaders of the DMK, however, described suggestions of a political arrangement with the BJP as “premature”, citing ideological and political differences.
“We are nowhere near discussing alliances. The DMK’s differences with the BJP are well known. But politics is not conducted in absolutes. Indian parliamentary history has seen parties extend support on specific issues or provide stability under extraordinary circumstances, as happened during the Vajpayee years. Any future decision would depend entirely on the political context and whether Tamil Nadu’s interests and federal rights are protected,” a former DMK minister said.
The Opposition INDI Alliance voted as a united front with 230 MPs, including those from the Congress, DMK (22) and TMC (28) against the Delimitation Bill. The bloc had objected to the Bill linking the contentious expansion of the Lok Sabha and the rollout of the women’s reservation Act, and had raised fears about the marginalisation of southern states’ representation.
Union home minister Amit Shah had said during the debate that the Government was willing to bring an amendment to ensure a uniform 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats across states if the Opposition agreed to support the Bill. He said that by this formula, the southern states would not lose out.
“First there should be an all-party meeting; give the proposals in writing — our last experience showed that there is a world of difference from what was promised and what came in the Bill. There should be discussions, and parties should get time to finalise their stances… because it’s a Constitution amendment… You cannot bring in amendments during the debate,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said when asked if his partybwould support a fresh Delimitation Bill.
He pointed to how the Treasury benches had held discussions with regional parties while keeping the Congress and key Opposition parties out.
“Even what was conveyed to them orally was not there in the draft Bill. It showed their intentions were not clear,” Ramesh said.
While remaining in touch with DMK leaders, including former chief minister M K Stalin, the BJP party appears to have a different plan in West Bengal.
“The internal fissures in the TMC and the intensifying anger against the party’s leaders have made it vulnerable. Politics in Bengal has changed. The section that is deeply disappointed with the current TMC leadership is growing stronger by the day. TMC is not like the Congress; it is a regional party, and there could be a development, including a split, that the BJP could use to its advantage in Parliament,” a senior BJP leader said.
