Rijiju reaches out to Rahul Gandhi, seeks support for delimitation bill

The government on Thursday reached out to the Opposition over the proposed delimitation Bill, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju speaking to Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi by phone to seek support for its reintroduction.

According to sources, Rijiju focused on finding common ground on the issue and urged Gandhi to support the early reintroduction of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026. This was reportedly the minister's third attempt during the Monsoon Session to discuss the matter with Gandhi.

Rijiju argued that Opposition support for the Bill could help accelerate the implementation of women's reservation. Sources said he also told Gandhi that continued delay in implementing women's reservation could lead to resentment among women.

Gandhi, however, remained non-committal and sought more time to discuss the matter with Congress allies and other constituents of the INDIA bloc. He reportedly told Rijiju that the government's proposal would be discussed with alliance partners before a clear position was communicated.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to link delimitation with the implementation of women's reservation, had failed to secure passage in the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session in April.

Congress MP K.C. Venugopal had reiterated on Wednesday that the party's position on the proposed legislation remained unchanged. Speaking outside Parliament, he said there had been no change in the stand taken by the Congress during the previous session.

Earlier in April, Congress MP Manish Tewari had said the Opposition had strongly resisted the Bill and defeated it in the Lok Sabha because of concerns that delimitation could be used to alter the country's political and demographic balance under the cover of women's reservation.

Tewari had maintained that the Opposition was willing to support women's reservation if it was implemented within the existing framework of parliamentary constituencies.

The proposed legislation has remained a contentious issue within the INDIA bloc, with Opposition parties raising concerns over linking women's reservation with the delimitation exercise for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.

Advertisement