INDIA bloc united on women's quota, to oppose delimitation bill in Parliament

In a rare show of unity among the fractured INDIA bloc, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said that while the opposition supported women's reservation, it would oppose the government's proposed delimitation bill during the special Parliament session. Addressing the media after an all-party opposition meet, Kharge objected to the manner in which the government was running roughshod with the constitution amendment bills to ensure 33% reservation for women in Parliament.

"We are not against women's reservation, but oppose the way the government is bringing the bills. It is politically motivated. We have decided to oppose the delimitation bill," Kharge said. The remarks, coming a day ahead of the special Parliament session, suggest another round of NDA vs INDIA bloc showdown in the Lok Sabha.

The strategy meeting was attended by all opposition parties, including the AAP, RJD, TMC, and DMK, at Kharge's residence. It comes as a morale booster for the Congress.

"Just to gag and suppress opposition parties, the government is doing this," Kharge further



said.

The government will introduce three amendment bills during the three-day session to pave the way for the operationalisation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam Bill, which was passed in 2023.

At the heart of the controversy is the Delimitation Bill, which will allow the Centre to set up a commission to redraw constituency boundaries on the basis of the latest Census figures.

The accompanying Constitution (131st) Bill proposes to increase the total strength of the Lok Sabha to 850, up from the current 543. Out of the 850, 273 seats will be reserved for women.

The original bill, cleared by Parliament in 2023, would have seen the implementation of women's reservation based on the 2027 Census. The rollout would have been in 2034.

However, the government now wants to speed up its implementation before the 2029 polls. It means the delimitation exercise will be based on the 2011 Census. This is at the core of the opposition's objection, which wants the delimitation exercise to be deferred until the 2021 Census data is available.