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By Asim Khan

Informist, Friday, Jul. 17, 2026

NEW DELHI – The government has left the opposition guessing about its plan as it kept the contentious delimitation bill out of the tentative list of business for the Monsoon Session of Parliament starting Monday. Opposition parties have been apprehensive that the Narendra Modi government will bring back the bill, which was defeated in the last session in April by a united opposition, and will bait lawmakers from the opposition parties to muster the two-thirds majority required to pass the bill.

The government managers are said to be working behind the curtains to shore up support for The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, commonly known as the delimitation bill, which aimed at expanding the Lok Sabha's maximum strength from 550 to 850 seats, and provide a one-third reservation for women in legislatures by 2029. Split in the parliamentary parties of the All India Trinamool Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) are being seen as the pieces of this puzzle.

More opposition parties could be in line for a similar fate, or may voluntary extend support to the government to avoid humiliation. Veteran politician Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (SP) has already given mixed signals that it may not be averse to supporting the bill. Some political observers believe the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, bitter after an alleged "back stabbing" by the ally Congress, may be game for it if gets a suitable "deal" from the Centre.  

However, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh Thursday said the Congress leadership at the highest level, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, was in touch with all Opposition parties, including the DMK and the Aam Aadmi Party, which had voted together to defeat the delimitation bill in April. He said the government would not be able to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha despite its efforts.

On other hand, the Opposition's plate is full with at least half a dozen crucial issues on which it can corner the government. Top on the Opposition's agenda is, of course, the Ram temple embezzlement issue, followed by the collapse of the education and examination system in the country, and the E20 or the ethanol-mixed fuel "scam". Jairam Ramesh said that the Congress will also seek a debate on foreign policy challenges particularly in context of China, the US and the deteriorating situation in West Asia. He said, the new role assumed by Pakistan with the US support is a serious foreign policy setback and the party will seek discussion on it.

Meanwhile, the government has listed five new bills for introduction during the session. The top on the agenda is the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which will replace an ordinance. The legislation seeks to "deepen India's sovereign debt market, attract stable global capital inflows, and enhance liquidity in view of the prevailing global macro-economic environment, marked by significant volatility arising from geopolitical uncertainties, sharp increases in crude oil prices, and disruptions in global supply chains", as per an official introductory note.

The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, again to replace an Ordinance, seeks to increase the number of judges in the top court from the present 33 to 37 (excluding the Chief Justice of India). The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, seeks to further amend section 13(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (last  amended in 2023) in order to make provisions of delayed registration more stringent.

The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, will amend the 1971 law to make the intentional insult of, or disruption during the singing of the national song Vande Mataram a punishable offence.

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development (Amendment) Bill seeks to line up the 2006 Act with the evolving MSME landscape, improve ease of doing business, strengthen mechanisms for addressing delayed payments, and enable enforcement of arbitral awards for micro and small enterprises. The legislation will also "create enabling provisions for states to decide composition of Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council".

Apart from these, the government has listed the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, which was introduced during the Budget session, and the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill, 2025, which is currently under the consideration of a Joint Committee of both Houses. The Opposition has expressed strong reservations on both the proposed pieces of legislation.  End

Reported by Asim Khan

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

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