Congress President Kharge Challenges Modi to Implement Women’s Quota Without Delimitation

Congress president and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday demanded the immediate implementation of 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state legislative assemblies, arguing that the government could introduce the quota using the existing strength of the legislatures without waiting for delimitation.

Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the public and using the women’s reservation issue to target the Opposition. He maintained that Congress had supported the legislation when it was passed in September 2023 and questioned why implementation could not begin immediately.

“You could implement the one-third reservation for women right now. Given the existing strength of the House, you could simply allocate one-third of those seats. What is stopping you?” Kharge said.

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, passed in a special session of Parliament in September 2023, provides for 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies and the Delhi Assembly. However, its implementation is linked to a census followed by a delimitation exercise to redraw constituency boundaries.

The Opposition argues that women’s representation should not be delayed until these processes are completed. It also has concerns that delimitation could alter the political balance among states, particularly affecting the representation and influence of southern states compared with more populous northern states.

The government, meanwhile, maintains that delimitation is part of the existing legal framework for operationalising the reservation and is necessary to determine constituency representation.

Kharge also criticised the Centre for introducing the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, related to delimitation, without adequate consultation with political parties. The bill failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026.

In a letter to Modi dated October 16, Kharge sought an all-party meeting to discuss delimitation proposals before fresh legislation is finalised and introduced in Parliament. He said he had previously written to the Prime Minister on April 11, July 16 and August 27, seeking similar consultations.

The Congress leader reiterated that the government should implement women’s reservation without linking it to the proposed delimitation exercise and ensure broader political consensus before moving forward with constitutional changes.