Bills related to delimitation, increase in seats and regulation of foreign donations may come to parliament next week

The Parliament may discuss bills related to the delimitation of constituencies, increasing the number of seats in the assemblies and the Lok Sabha, and regulating foreign donations next week. The Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, were introduced in the Lok Sabha during a special session called after the budget session. Meanwhile, the bill to amend the Constitution to increase the number of seats in legislative bodies fell in the Lok Sabha due to lack of two-thirds majority, and now the government is introducing a new bill. The government wants to get the bill to increase seats and the delimitation bill passed as soon as possible so that the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam passed by Parliament in 2023 can be implemented.

The government wants the women's reservation bill to be implemented after increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha and the assemblies so that the required number of seats to provide reservations for women can be adjusted with the increased number of seats. Meanwhile, the main objection of the opposition was that women's reservations should not be linked to an increase in the number of seats and that women should be provided with reservations immediately in the current circumstances.

In view of the government's intentions, the main opposition party, Congress, has issued a whip to its MPs to be present in the House from August 10 to 12. The whip states that important bills will be discussed during these three days. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also appealed to the opposition, including Lok Sabha leader Rahul Gandhi, to support the bills related to women's reservations so that women's empowerment can be possible.

The constitutional amendment bill that fell in the Lok Sabha had proposed to increase the maximum number of seats in the Lok Sabha from 550 to 815. It had proposed to increase the representation of states from 530 to 780 and the representation of Union territories from 20 to 35. It is believed that a new bill with similar provisions will be introduced in Parliament this time as well. The purpose of the foreign donation bill is to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. According to the statement of objects and reasons of the bill, after the amendment, it will be mandatory to obtain prior permission for receiving foreign donations and to use them in time. Failure to do so will result in the registration being suspended. The suspension will also require the regulation of assets.

A new section has been added to the amendment bill, which mandates the cancellation of the certificate if the registration period expires or the registration is not renewed. At the same time, there is a proposal to change the penalty provisions. The punishment for receiving or assisting in receiving foreign donations illegally has been reduced from five years to one year. The penalty provision has been retained. The bill also mandates that without the prior permission of the central government, an investigation into violations of this Act cannot be initiated.

The government has a sufficient majority to pass the foreign donation and delimitation bills as they are to be passed by a simple majority. The hitch is on the constitutional amendment bill. After the bill fell last time, it is believed that the government has made full preparations this time. With some MPs from the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party switching to the ruling side, the government is in a stronger position than in the previous session. Now it remains to be seen whether the government will be able to get a two-thirds majority this time. Only four days are left of the monsoon session, which is ending on August 13.