"Opponents to the bill that seeks to give 33 per cent seats to women in the Lok Sabha and assemblies know we will be left with a thin majority in the Lower House," said a Congressman.
"This is where they can put pressure on us. But we have to call their bluff," the Congres- sman added. He admitted, "Our dependence will grow on the 13 single member parties in the House."

In the future, the Congress can, of course, boost its num- bers by splitting parties.

Most parties have already issued a whip to their MPs to be present in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. But the big ques- tion is whether the bill can be passed despite the backing of 152 UPA, Left and BJP MPs and some additional support from others. "It all depends to what extent the anti-bill parties go,'' said a Union minister.

To pass a Constitution amendment bill, some kind of order is needed to record the votes of MPs. Will Lalu Prasad's RJD, Mulayam Singh Yadav's SP or Sharad Yadav's JD(U), who want a sub quota for OBCs and minorities, allow this? They have not done so in the past.

"There will be a war on the issue,'' warned the RJD's Lalu, who met the PM to seek an all- party meet for a consensus.