Mallikarjun Kharge urges PM to hold all-party meet on revised delimitation bill
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene an all-party meeting on the revised delimitation bill. The move underscores opposition demands for wider consultation as the Centre reworks the proposal to advance women's reservation before 2029.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to convene an all-party meeting on reports that the Centre plans to reintroduce a Constitution amendment bill linked to delimitation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
In his letter, Kharge said political parties should be given adequate time to study the revised proposals before they are introduced. His intervention comes as the government is reported to be working on fresh formulations to advance the implementation of the women’s reservation law before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Kharge said he had written to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju during March and April, seeking an all-party meeting on the government’s proposals on delimitation and related issues. “Unfortunately, these requests had not been accepted. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, then failed to secure the required 2/3 majority in Lok Sabha on 17 April, 2026 by a clear margin,” he said.
Referring to recent media reports, Kharge wrote, “I have been reading in media reports that the Union Government now proposes to reintroduce a revised (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 during the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. I would, once again, request you to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the government’s revised proposals on delimitation, etc., and give us adequate time to study them in detail before they are introduced in Parliament,” Kharge said.
The letter came days after reports suggested the government was examining multiple ways to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats for all states by 50 per cent to address concerns in southern states. The fresh draft is being prepared amid concerns in the South that a population-based delimitation exercise could reduce their political strength in the Lok Sabha.
The first bill failed in the Lok Sabha on 17 April after the government could not secure the required two-thirds majority. The NDA currently has around 300 MPs in the House, with three vacancies, and needs 360 votes to reach the two-thirds mark. The government had said it wanted the bill passed so that the women’s reservation law could be enforced earlier.
Under the current law, reservation for women cannot take effect before 2034 because the process is tied to the completion of delimitation after the 2027 Census. To implement it from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, changes were needed in the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. Under the government’s plan, Lok Sabha seats would be increased to a maximum of 850 from 543 to operationalise the women’s quota law before the 2029 parliamentary polls through a delimitation exercise based on the last published census.
In sum, Kharge has asked the Prime Minister to hold wider consultations on the revised delimitation proposals as the government prepares a fresh bill linked to implementing the women’s reservation law before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to convene an all-party meeting on reports that the Centre plans to reintroduce a Constitution amendment bill linked to delimitation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
In his letter, Kharge said political parties should be given adequate time to study the revised proposals before they are introduced. His intervention comes as the government is reported to be working on fresh formulations to advance the implementation of the women’s reservation law before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Kharge said he had written to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju during March and April, seeking an all-party meeting on the government’s proposals on delimitation and related issues. “Unfortunately, these requests had not been accepted. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, then failed to secure the required 2/3 majority in Lok Sabha on 17 April, 2026 by a clear margin,” he said.
Referring to recent media reports, Kharge wrote, “I have been reading in media reports that the Union Government now proposes to reintroduce a revised (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 during the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. I would, once again, request you to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the government’s revised proposals on delimitation, etc., and give us adequate time to study them in detail before they are introduced in Parliament,” Kharge said.
The letter came days after reports suggested the government was examining multiple ways to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats for all states by 50 per cent to address concerns in southern states. The fresh draft is being prepared amid concerns in the South that a population-based delimitation exercise could reduce their political strength in the Lok Sabha.
The first bill failed in the Lok Sabha on 17 April after the government could not secure the required two-thirds majority. The NDA currently has around 300 MPs in the House, with three vacancies, and needs 360 votes to reach the two-thirds mark. The government had said it wanted the bill passed so that the women’s reservation law could be enforced earlier.
Under the current law, reservation for women cannot take effect before 2034 because the process is tied to the completion of delimitation after the 2027 Census. To implement it from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, changes were needed in the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. Under the government’s plan, Lok Sabha seats would be increased to a maximum of 850 from 543 to operationalise the women’s quota law before the 2029 parliamentary polls through a delimitation exercise based on the last published census.
In sum, Kharge has asked the Prime Minister to hold wider consultations on the revised delimitation proposals as the government prepares a fresh bill linked to implementing the women’s reservation law before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to convene an all-party meeting on reports that the Centre plans to reintroduce a Constitution amendment bill linked to delimitation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
In his letter, Kharge said political parties should be given adequate time to study the revised proposals before they are introduced. His intervention comes as the government is reported to be working on fresh formulations to advance the implementation of the women’s reservation law before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Kharge said he had written to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju during March and April, seeking an all-party meeting on the government’s proposals on delimitation and related issues. “Unfortunately, these requests had not been accepted. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, then failed to secure the required 2/3 majority in Lok Sabha on 17 April, 2026 by a clear margin,” he said.
Referring to recent media reports, Kharge wrote, “I have been reading in media reports that the Union Government now proposes to reintroduce a revised (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 during the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. I would, once again, request you to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the government’s revised proposals on delimitation, etc., and give us adequate time to study them in detail before they are introduced in Parliament,” Kharge said.
The letter came days after reports suggested the government was examining multiple ways to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats for all states by 50 per cent to address concerns in southern states. The fresh draft is being prepared amid concerns in the South that a population-based delimitation exercise could reduce their political strength in the Lok Sabha.
The first bill failed in the Lok Sabha on 17 April after the government could not secure the required two-thirds majority. The NDA currently has around 300 MPs in the House, with three vacancies, and needs 360 votes to reach the two-thirds mark. The government had said it wanted the bill passed so that the women’s reservation law could be enforced earlier.
Under the current law, reservation for women cannot take effect before 2034 because the process is tied to the completion of delimitation after the 2027 Census. To implement it from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, changes were needed in the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. Under the government’s plan, Lok Sabha seats would be increased to a maximum of 850 from 543 to operationalise the women’s quota law before the 2029 parliamentary polls through a delimitation exercise based on the last published census.
In sum, Kharge has asked the Prime Minister to hold wider consultations on the revised delimitation proposals as the government prepares a fresh bill linked to implementing the women’s reservation law before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
