INDIA bloc to support women’s reservation but oppose delimitation bill in Parliament: Kharge

In a significant political development ahead of the special Parliament session, the opposition INDIA bloc has expressed conditional support for the women’s reservation legislation while announcing its decision to oppose the proposed delimitation bill. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge made the announcement after chairing an all-party opposition meeting in New Delhi, signalling a rare moment of unity among INDIA bloc constituents.

Kharge stated that the opposition is not against the principle of women’s reservation, but strongly objects to the manner in which the government is introducing the constitutional amendment bills. He alleged that the process was being carried out in a rushed and politically motivated manner, without adequate consensus, and accused the government of disregarding constitutional procedures while pushing the legislation in Parliament.

The opposition’s primary concern centres around the delimitation proposal, which seeks to redraw parliamentary constituency boundaries based on recent census data. According to Kharge and other opposition leaders, the government’s approach is designed to manipulate electoral boundaries for political advantage. He further said that the INDIA bloc has decided to collectively oppose the delimitation bill during the upcoming parliamentary proceedings.

The meeting was attended by several key opposition parties, including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Trinamool Congress, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Leaders present reiterated that while they support the idea of ensuring 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures, they oppose linking it with immediate delimitation based on the 2011 Census instead of more updated population data.

Kharge also accused the government of attempting to suppress opposition voices and “run roughshod” over constitutional norms. The government, on its part, is expected to introduce three constitutional amendment bills during the upcoming session to operationalise the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which was passed in 2023.