Congress closes ranks against ‘unconstitutional’ quota–delimitation bill ahead of Parliament showdown

New Delhi: The Congress and several opposition parties have intensified their attack on Centre’s proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, calling it “mischievous”, “devious” and a threat to India’s federal structure.

In a bid to step up the Opposition, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will host a key strategy meeting ahead of the special Parliament session at his residence on Wednesday at 12.30 pm. The meeting will be attended by Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and other senior leaders. This will be followed by a broader opposition huddle at 3 pm to forge a united response to the proposed legislation on women’s reservation and delimitation.

With the special Parliament sitting scheduled from April 16 to 18, the Congress is working to build a united opposition front. While several leaders are expected to attend Kharge’s meeting, some may send representatives due to ongoing state elections.

The opposition’s central concern remains that the bill links women’s reservation to delimitation, potentially reshaping political representation across states without adequate debate.

Congress flags intent, timing of bill
The Congress has sharply questioned both the intent and timing of the bill, which seeks to expand the Lok Sabha from 543 to up to 850 seats and implement 33% reservation for women through a fresh delimitation exercise.

Jairam Ramesh said the bill could cause “enormous damage to parliamentary democracy” if its intent is “mischievous” and content “devious”.

K C Venugopal termed the proposal “extremely ill-timed”, alleging that the government is attempting to “bulldoze a deeply flawed, unconstitutional and anti-federal delimitation exercise under the garb of women’s reservation”.

He also questioned the urgency of introducing the bill during an election period and criticised the proposed use of 2011 Census data. “Delimitation fundamentally alters the political future of states. Using outdated data will punish those that successfully controlled population growth,” he said, calling for wider consultation.

Southern states raise federal concerns
Opposition-ruled southern states have emerged as strong voices against the delimitation proposal, warning of political imbalance. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin cautioned that any move that reduces the state’s political weight would trigger “massive agitation” and statewide protests.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an all-party meeting, arguing that a population-based seat increase without factoring in economic contribution would distort the federal balance.

Reddy also reached out to counterparts in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, urging a coordinated response from southern states. 

As an alternative, he proposed a “hybrid model” that balances population with economic contribution. Under this approach, half of the additional seats could be allocated on a pro rata basis, while the remaining seats would be distributed based on factors such as Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) and overall performance indicators.

While the ruling NDA has backed the move as a “historic step” to fast-track women’s reservation before the 2029 elections, the opposition insists that the process must not compromise federal principles or democratic balance.