New Delhi: The Modi government’s arithmetic for a potential special session of Parliament has been thrown into disarray. In a major blow for the Centre, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed regret over supporting the 2023 legislation for appointment election commissioners.
Kharge presses for an all-party meeting
The government has not announced a date for any special session. The delay has kept speculation alive about a possible special sitting to consider a law on delimitation and women’s reservation. The YSRCP chief has argued that the present system gives the government too much influence over appointments to the body responsible for conducting elections. The party had also backed the government’s proposed law on delimitation and women’s reservation. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the delay in proroguing the Monsoon Session. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju responded to the questions over prorogation by saying that no specific time limit has been prescribed for the formal process. He also maintained that the government had been in contact with the Opposition over delimitation.
Because the YSRCP has supported several government bills in Parliament in the past, the statement has political significance. The Monsoon Session of Parliament ended on August 13, but the formal prorogation of both Houses had not taken place even by October 19. Jagan has said the YSRCP made a mistake by supporting the 2023 law governing the appointment of the chief election commissioner and other two commissioners. In his October 16 letter, he said that 64 days had passed since the session ended and urged the government to hold an all-party meeting before bringing back legislation on delimitation.
He has called for changes to the selection process and said the appointment of state election commissioners should also be free from excessive government influence.
The amendment replaced the earlier selection process involving the prime minister, the leader of the Opposition and the chief justice of India with a committee comprising the prime minister, a Union minister nominated by him and the leader of the Opposition.
