Congress Demands Delinking of Women's Reservation from Delimitation for Support

Congress MP Mallu Ravi declared his party's support for the Women's Reservation Bill is conditional upon its separation from the Delimitation Bill. In a statement to ANI on Thursday, Ravi emphasized that the bill was first passed in the Rajya Sabha during the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.

Ravi criticized the ruling BJP for attempting to claim authorship of the initiative. He stated, "The bill was indeed spearheaded by Congress, and its passage in both houses of Parliament doesn't take away the fact that it hasn't yet become law." He further accused the BJP and the Prime Minister of positioning themselves as advocates of the bill.

The discussion over the bill's connection to delimitation becomes crucial as Parliament debates the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026. This bill aims to ensure 33% reservation for women in legislative bodies and is being debated alongside the Delimitation Bill, which plans to redraw constituency boundaries. Congress and other parties claim this linking misguides the public.