Congress issues three-line whip to its Lok Sabha MPs; unlikely to back delimitation

Congress issued a three-line whip to its Lok Sabha members urging them to support the party's stance during the upcoming special session of Parliament, which will focus on amending the women’s reservation law and carrying out a delimitation exercise. The government plans to increase the strength of both the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by 50%, reserving 272 seats for women lawmakers. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party chairperson Sonia Gandhi have expressed concerns about the timing of the special session, arguing that it is being held in the middle of an election campaign and that delimitation should be addressed separately.