Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Thursday introduced the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to amend the women’s reservation law after a division of votes, with 251 members supporting the move and 185 opposing it.The Bill, which seeks to operationalise women’s reservation before the 2029 general elections, was tabled alongside two ordinary legislations, the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill. The proposed measures are aimed at implementing the amended quota framework in Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir, while also setting up the process for fresh delimitation.The introduction followed a fiery 40-minute debate in the House, during which opposition parties strongly objected to linking women’s reservation with delimitation and the proposed expansion of Lok Sabha seats.According to the draft Bill circulated among members, Lok Sabha strength would rise from the current 543 seats to a maximum of 850 after a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census. Seats in state assemblies and Union Territory legislatures would also be increased to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.The Bill also proposes that seats reserved for women in the Lok Sabha and assemblies “shall be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in a state or Union territory”.Congress leader K. C. Venugopal questioned why the proposed changes were not incorporated when the original women’s reservation law was passed in 2023. “Bills to tweak the women’s quota law and set up a delimitation panel are anti-constitutional,” he said.Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also questioned the urgency behind the move. “We support women’s quota in legislature but why not hold a census?” he asked.Union Home Minister Amit Shah responded sharply, saying the Census 2027 process was underway and that the government had decided to conduct caste enumeration as well. He also maintained that reservation based on religion is “unconstitutional”.DMK MPs entered the House dressed in black to protest the amendments. DMK leader T. R. Baalu said, “We favour the 2023 women’s quota law, but the present Bill is aimed at delimitation.”RSP MP N. K. Premachandran opposed the amendment, saying it was intended not for reservation but for delimitation.Venugopal also argued that a Constitution amendment bill should not be discussed together with ordinary bills. Shah rejected the objection, while Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla cited precedents to allow joint discussion, noting the Bills relate to the same subject.Several opposition parties had earlier decided to vote together against the delimitation-related provisions while reiterating support for reservation for women in legislatures.
