‘Regional imbalance’ bothers Congress as government plans delimitation to roll out women’s reservation

The Union government’s proposal to carry out the delimitation exercise on the basis of the 2011 Census to implement the women’s reservation law by the 2029 Lok Sabha elections has not only reversed its earlier position but also led to subtle changes in the Congress’ stance.

Until recently, the government argued that the law could only be implemented after the completion of the first census delimitation study after 2026.

The Congress, which had earlier pressed for immediate implementation of the women’s reservation law, is now demanding an all-party meeting to discuss the potential impact of such a move.

Party leaders argue that if the strength of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies is increased at the same rate by around 50%, States with larger populations will automatically get more seats and the existing representation gap will widen.

This issue was first made public by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who pointed out the possible consequences of a population-based increase in the number of seats in the southern states.

Apart from Andhra Pradesh, where the Telugu Desam Party, a member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is in power, other southern states are ruled by non-NDA parties that could potentially take a common stance on the issue.

However, the Center has already rejected the Congress’ demand for all-party consultations.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore said, “As Telangana Chief Minister @revanth_anumula garu highlighted — Uttar Pradesh: 80 → 120 seats, Telangana: 17 → 26 seats. Gap widens from 63 to 94 seats. Now look at the bigger picture: Southern States 66 seats (129 → 195), northern States 200 seats.” is winning,” said Congress MP Manickam Tagore. X.

While there is no official proposal made public, government sources are said to be examining the possibility of increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to around 816 seats, with 33% reserved for women under the provisions of the women’s reservation act.

Mr. Tagore said a uniform 50% increase in seats may seem fair, but fundamental population disparities between regions will inevitably shift parliamentary representation towards States with higher population growth in the Indian belt.

“Southern States face the risk of being pushed to the political margins,” said the Congress MP from Tamil Nadu.

Beyond the emerging north-south debate, the Congress is also seeking clarity on how the government proposes to address the demands of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for women’s representation within the reservation framework.

Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi had raised this issue during the debate in the Lok Sabha in September 2023, when the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was passed.

“The Indian National Congress demands immediate implementation of this Bill. However, a caste census should be conducted and reservation should be provided for women from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs,” Mrs. Gandhi had said in the Lok Sabha on September 20, 2023.

Party leaders now argue that the timing of the delimitation exercise could also factor into broader debates around caste-based representation.

“The government wants to provide reservation on the basis of Census 2011 as it does not include caste data. If women’s reservation is implemented after caste census, demand for OBC quotas commensurate with their share in the population will inevitably arise,” a senior Congress leader said.