Parliament special session highlights: ‘India’s daughters will forever be grateful to PM Modi,' says Kangana Ranaut

Parliament special session LIVE: The delimitation bill, which proposes an expansion of the Lok Sabha from 550 to 850 seats, has met a wall of resistance from a unified Opposition. Exactly what is the calculation they need to defeat the Centre in Lok Sabha?

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Parliament special session LIVE: The Opposition members in Lok Sabha had pressed for a division against the move to introduce the bill. The motion passed with 207 votes in favour and 126 against, while 86 NDA MPs were absent during the voting.

Parliament special session LIVE: The Lok Sabha is currently counting votes on the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill. For the bill to be debated, it requires a simple majority for introduction.

Parliament special session LIVE: Sonia Gandhi left Rajya Sabha premises on Thursday saying Congress has made position clear on bills and she had nothing to add. Congress maintain the stand that they are all for women's reservation but won't vote in favour of seat expansion.

Parliament special session LIVE: Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till tomorrow, to meet again on Friday, 17 April, 2026 at 11 am.

Parliament special session LIVE: The government is set to begin the exercise to redraw constituencies and increase Lok Sabha seats to 850 from the current 543 in a bid to ensure one-third reservation for women in Parliament and the population growth over the decades.

Read more on the Delimitation Bill

Union home minister Amit Shah slams Akhilesh Yadav on raising demand for census when the process has actually begun.

Parliament special session LIVE: Asaduddin Owaisi opposed the bill, reading a Sahir Ludhianvi poem in protest. He said he opposes its introduction, calling it a violation of federalism. Owaisi argued the move is not about women’s reservation, but would erase Muslim representation, give more power to larger-population states, and curtail parliamentary democracy.

Parliament special session LIVE: TR Baalu of the DMK said the party’s stand is clear and it opposes the bill. He reminded the House that DMK leader and Tamil Nadu CM M. K. Stalin had burnt a copy of the Delimitation Bill.

Parliament special session LIVE: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the House that reservation on the basis of religion is unconstitutional, responding to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. He stressed that the Constitution does not allow religion-based quotas, reiterating the government’s stance during the debate. Yadav had earlier asked for caste census to be done before the bills are introduced. To this, Shah said the decision has already been taken.

Parliament special session LIVE: Congress MP KC Venugopal opposed the introduction of all three bills, registering the party’s objection in the House. As Venugopal took more time to oppose the bill, Speaker Birla reminded him that he will be given time for debate.

Parliament special session LIVE: Law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026.

Parliament begins session with obituary references, including mention legendary singer Asha Bhosle who passed away of April 12.

Parliament special session LIVE: Speaker Om Birla begins proceedings in Lok Sabha.

Parliament special session LIVE: DMK MP's have shown up in Parliament wearing black shirts to protest against the Delimitation bill. Earlier, TN CM MK Stalin had burnt a copy of the bill to oppose it.

The session starts at 11 am IST.

Parliament special session LIVE: Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin says, "Today is a very important day. I am wearing a black shirt opposing the Delimitation Bill. The Union is trying to reduce the representation from Tamil Nadu... Using the election time in Tamil Nadu, the Union government is trying to divert us with the election and bring this Delimitation Bill."

Parliament special session LIVE: Samajwadi Party leader and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav wrote on X this morning: "The Women's Reservation Bill is a "black document" of the BJP and their allies' latest deception, which is in fact a "secret plan of cunning people." It harbors a conspiracy to permanently weaken the women of backward and Dalit society. A Chakravyuh is being woven to deprive them of true public representation. This bill is born out of the frustration of defeat among the hegemony advocates and their exploitative-suppressive communal mindset toward women. The Women's Reservation Bill is nothing more than an "anti-people gimmick."

Parliament special session LIVE: Defending the government over why the bills were being introduced just days before elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju told HT: “If we bring it before the Lok Sabha elections, they will say that you are bringing it to get benefit …If we don’t do it now, after five months, there’s another round of elections. Then, you will say you are doing it for the Uttar Pradesh elections. Every year there are two rounds of elections… How can you stall the issue and link it with the state elections? It has nothing to do with it. This is a totally undesirable argument being put forward by the Opposition. Let us be very clear, women’s reservation cannot be equated with any kind of political agenda or used for political benefits. The bill was passed earlier, it is only a case of implementation.”

Parliament special session LIVE: The proportional representation of all states will remain the same even after the government’s bills expanding the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 and fast-tracking women’s reservation go through, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said in an interview to HT, adding that it will be made clear in Parliament

Parliament special session LIVE: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Parliamentary Party leader and MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Thursday moved a motion in the Lok Sabha opposing the introduction of three government bills, including the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026.

Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin burned a copy of the proposed delimitation bill, whose implementation is tied to a population-based revision of constituencies based on the 2011 census.

CM Stalin also raised a black flag to kick off statewide anti-delimitation agitation.

(ANI)

Parliament special session LIVE: Congress MP Manish Tewari also strongly opposed the proposed delimitation bill, warning that its impact on India's federal structure would be "deleterious, detrimental and destructive for our polity."

In a post on X, Congress MP wrote, "I support the 33% reservation for women. I oppose a dangerous delimitation. As it's implications will be deleterious , detrimental and destructive for our polity."

Parliament special session LIVE: DMK Parliamentary Party leader and MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Thursday moved a motion in the Lok Sabha opposing the introduction of three government bills, including the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026. (ANI)

Parliament special session LIVE: “The truth is if Modi ji has his way, the share of smaller states, southern states and the northeast states will be reduced, which is a major loss for them. I consider this as anti-national activity. Our stand is clear: if you want to reserve seats, do it on the basis of the OBC census and the 2026 census. And if you want to implement the women’s bill, it is already there and we will give you full support. But we will not allow action against the OBCs, southern and smaller states,” Gandhi said in a video message.

Parliament special session LIVE: The biggest point of contest around the exercise is a North vs South divide, with North India with significant population growth benefitting with more proportionate seats, while South India — a significant contributor to the GDP (around 30–31%) — getting its proportionate seats reduced over lesser population growth rate. Southern states have, time and again, flagged that mere population alone shouldn't be the criteria for such revisions, or additions.

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Parliament special session LIVE: Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin on Thursday burned a copy of the Delimitation Bill, calling it a “black law” and alleging that it seeks to turn Tamil people into “refugees” in their own land.

Stalin also hoisted a black flag and raised slogans against the proposed legislation, hours before Parliament convened for a special session.

In a statement, he said, “Let the flames of resistance spread across Tamil Nadu. Let the arrogance of the fascist BJP be brought down.” Drawing a parallel with the anti-Hindi agitations of the 1960s, he added that resistance from the state had once forced the Centre to back down.

“Today, I have reignited that fire by burning a copy of this black law and hoisting the black flag. This fire will spread across the Dravidian land. It will rise, it will rage, and it will bring the BJP’s arrogance to its knees,” he said. (PTI)