10 Hrs allocated for discussion on reforms

The government has agreed to the opposition’s demands to hold a parliamentary debate on electoral reforms, with special focus on the controversial Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls ordered for each state, sources told NDTV Tuesday afternoon. The House’s Business Advisory Council will decide the time to be allotted for this debate later today, sources added.

Parliament’s winter session began Monday with the opposition heaping pressure on the government over the Election Commission-mandated re-verification of voter rolls in each state, including Bengal and Tamil Nadu, two non-BJP ruled states that will hold elections next year.

That pressure rolled over into the second day, prompting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to chide the protesting opposition parties, particularly the Congress; the BJP has fired several recent jabs at its arch-rival after another electoral humiliation, this time in Bihar.