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The Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is expected to decide on Saturday on the merger of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, sources said.
According to sources, the Lok Sabha Speaker is in consultation with experts and may take a final decision on the merger. Last month, rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar led a total of 20 MPs and announced a merger with a regional NCPI. Shiv Sena (UBT) has also witnessed a split, with six Lok Sabha MPs joining the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Also, Speaker Om Birla may decide today on Dravida Munntera Kazhagam (DMK)'s demand for separate seat allotment from Congress after its fallout from the INDIA bloc, following the post-poll politics in Tamil Nadu, where Congress joined hands with the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Earlier, seven Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs had joined the BJP. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, currently holds 292 seats in Lok Sabha. In case the Speaker approves the two mergers, the NDA's strength will stand at 318. The NDA is likely to move closer to the two-thirds majority mark of 360 in the House of 540 members, with three seats currently vacant. The mergers have ignited speculation around the Centre bringing back the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposes an increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha up to 850 and implementing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in legislatures. According to sources, the Centre is likely to bring the Bill back, with attempts being made to remove apprehensions and assure a uniform 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats in states. With the NDA an inch closer to a majority and the DMK not part of the INDIA bloc, the Centre eyes passing the Bill, which was defeated after gaining 298 votes in April. (ANI)
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