Congress Blocks Centre's Bid to Tweak Women's Reservation Bill

Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal accused the Centre of trying to introduce a delimitation exercise under the guise of women's reservation. A bill aiming to increase Lok Sabha seats and implement the reservation by 2029 was defeated in the Lok Sabha, underscoring opposition unity.

In a statement on Friday, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal criticized the Centre's attempt to introduce delimitation under the cover of women's reservation. He declared the move 'defeated' in the Lok Sabha due to unified opposition.

The government sought to amend the Constitution, targeting changes to the democratic and electoral structure, aligning the women's reservation with a proposed delimitation exercise. Although a law granting 33% reservation for women was enacted in 2023, the Congress advocates for its immediate enforcement without any constitutional risks, Sapkal emphasized.

Sapkal accused the Centre of deliberately delaying the quota's rollout by tying it to the Census, urging for adherence to existing provisions. A contentious Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at expanding Lok Sabha seats to 850 was rejected on Friday, falling short with a vote count of 298 in favor versus 230 opposed, far from the needed two-thirds majority.

(With inputs from agencies.)