Kashmir Impulse Desk
New Delhi, April 16
India’s ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and opposition parties on Thursday clashed sharply over proposed constitutional amendments to implement women’s reservation and establish a delimitation commission, with both sides exchanging charges over federal balance and electoral intent.
The government introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha – including the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 – aimed at advancing the implementation of a 33% quota for women in legislatures and restructuring parliamentary constituencies based on a future delimitation exercise.
Ruling party lawmakers said the measures would correct long-pending delays in women’s political representation and strengthen governance.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders said the proposed reforms would ensure broader participation of women in public life, with MP Giriraj Singh saying women had “waited for years” for reservation and expressing confidence the bills would pass with support across parties.
NDA allies also backed the initiative, calling it a historic step for women’s empowerment.
However, opposition parties raised concerns over the linkage between women’s reservation and delimitation, warning that the exercise could alter the federal balance between states.
Congress and regional party leaders said the use of 2011 census data for redrawing constituencies could disadvantage southern states, which have achieved lower population growth.
Congress MP K Suresh said his party supported women’s reservation but opposed the delimitation framework tied to it, while MP Hibi Eden said the proposal posed a “direct attack” on India’s federal structure.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said his party backed women’s reservation in principle but objected to the “manner and timing” of the legislation, arguing that representation should be based on updated census data.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP T R Baalu said his party strongly opposed the proposal, while Left leaders described the linkage between reservation and delimitation as a “smokescreen” for political restructuring.
The government maintains the bills are designed to operationalise earlier constitutional amendments providing for women’s reservation in legislatures, which require delimitation before implementation.
