At the centre of the controversy lies the Delimitation Bill, which will allow the Centre to form a commission to redraw constituency boundaries based on the latest Census figures.
What Is Delimitation Bill?
The accompanying Constitution (131st) Bill proposes to increase the total strength of the Lok Sabha to 850, as against the current 543.
Out of the 850, 273 (approximately 33 per cent) seats will be reserved for women.
The original bill, greenlit by the Parliament in 2023, would have seen the operationalisation of women’s reservation based on the 2027 Census. Accordingly, the rollout would have been in 2034.
With an aim to ramp up the process, the delimitation exercise will be carried out on the basis of the 2011 Census. This forms the core of the opposition’s objection, which wants the delimitation exercise to be deferred until the 2021 Census data is available.
INDIA Bloc To Oppose Delimitation Bill
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge announced Wednesday that while the opposition backed the women’s reservation, it would opposed the Delimitation Bill during the special Parliament session.
Addressing the media after an all-party opposition meet, Kharge said, “We are not against women’s reservation, but oppose the way the government is bringing the bills. It is politically motivated. We have decided to oppose the delimitation bill”.
