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New Delhi: Union minister for parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday (October 19) said in a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge that consultations on building consensus on the delimitation bill had already been held with various parties. He mentioned the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Samajwadi Party, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), Nationalist Congress Power (NCP), Shiv Sena (UBT), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

Rijiju’s letter to Kharge comes amidst speculation that the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government may move to bring the Delimitation Bill in a special session of parliament as it faces protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

However, the DMK’s support for Kumar’s resignation while staying away from the opposition INDIA bloc, the YSCRP’s “regret” over supporting the 2023 Bill appointing the CEC and other Election Commissioners, and the BJD’s move to join the Opposition march to Election Commission earlier this month has put a cloud on how the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will cobble up the numbers to reach the required two-thirds majority to pass the constitutional amendment.

While the government has not yet issued a public statement on whether a special session will be called, that the Monsoon Session has not yet been prorogued has only added to the speculation. Rijiju on Monday responded to Kharge’s letter demanding an all-party meeting and said that there is “no........

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