The government is actively working to secure the numbers it needs to clear the pending women’s reservation agenda and is likely to make another bid to pilot the Constitution amendment Bill during the monsoon session beginning Monday.The matter was discussed at a meeting of NDA leaders chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday. Rajnath is also the Deputy Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha.A boost to the NDA’s numbers is expected once Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla approves the merger of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha MPs with the National Congress Party of India (NCPI) and also recognises six rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs as part of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena legislature party in the Lower House.Once that happens, the government will move closer to the two-thirds majority mark of 360 in the 543-member Lok Sabha. However, with three vacancies, the effective strength of the House currently stands at 540. The NDA tentatively estimates its strength at 299 MPs at present.Once the merger of the 20 TMC members with the NCPI is formalised, the NDA’s tally will rise to 319. NDA sources are also counting the support of the YSRCP’s four MPs, taking its effective strength to 323. The alliance would still need 360 votes if all members are present and voting.Constitution amendment Bills must be passed by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting. Parleys with the NCP (SP), which has eight Lok Sabha MPs, and the DMK, which has 22 MPs, are underway.NDA leaders have also been told to engage with all parties and persuade them to support the women’s reservation Bill.Besides, the government says it can commit in the draft Bill to increase the Lok Sabha seats of every state by 50 per cent. The NCP (SP) and even the Shiv Sena (UBT) have indicated they may support the Bill if the draft looks reasonable to them.Meanwhile, in another significant development, the MK Stalin-led DMK has also expressed openness to reconsidering the draft. The DMK said it would study the proposed delimitation Bill whenever it was tabled in Parliament and take a decision on its merits while safeguarding Tamil Nadu’s interests.At a meeting of DMK MPs, Stalin said the party was in a wait-and-watch mode on the Bill and that the state’s interests would take precedence over political affiliations. Stalin did not commit either to the Congress-led INDIA bloc or the NDA, saying the draft Bill would first have to be examined once it was placed before political parties.NDA circles are viewing Stalin’s position as a sign of willingness to reconsider the Bill. During the special session of Parliament held in April, the DMK had emerged as the strongest opponent of the Bill.