The INDIA alliance has decided to strongly oppose the constituency redelineation (delimitation) bill that the Opposition says has been linked to the women’s reservation amendment bill, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in New Delhi.
Kharge said the alliance is not against providing 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, but questioned the manner in which the Centre is bringing the amendment. He alleged the move carries political intent and that the government is attempting to corner the Opposition.
The decision was taken at a meeting of INDIA bloc parties chaired by Kharge, attended by leaders including Rahul Gandhi, DMK MP T.R. Baalu, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Trinamool Congress leader Sagarika Ghose, Shiv Sena (Uddhav) leader Sanjay Raut, NCP (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
According to Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, the proposed changes indicate the number of Lok Sabha constituencies could rise by up to 50% and that delimitation would be carried out uniformly based on population. He said the bills do not include provisions to protect proportional representation of states, warning that several states could lose representation in the Lok Sabha.
Ramesh added that the Opposition wants women’s reservation implemented on the basis of the current Lok Sabha strength of 543 seats, and noted that the law is slated to take effect from the 2029 Lok Sabha election. The alliance said it will register strong objections during debates in both Houses of Parliament.
