‘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 in order to implement the women’s reservation law by the 2029 Lok Sabha elections has not only reversed its earlier position but has also prompted the Congress to nuance its stance.

Until recently, the government had maintained that the law could be implemented only after the completion of the delimitation exercise linked to the first Census conducted after 2026.

The Congress, which had earlier pressed for the 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 uniformly by around 50%, States with larger populations would automatically gain more seats, widening the existing representation gap.

The issue was first publicly flagged by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who pointed to the implications of a population-based increase in seats for southern States.

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

The Centre, however, has already rejected the Congress’s demand for an all-party consultation.

“As highlighted by Telangana Chief Minister @revanth_anumula garu — Uttar Pradesh: 80 → 120 seats, Telangana: 17 → 26 seats. The gap widens from 63 to 94 seats. Now look at the larger picture: Southern States gain 66 seats (129 → 195), while northern States gain 200 seats,” Congress MP Manickam Tagore said in a post on X.

Though no official proposal has been placed in the public domain, 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 in line with the provisions of the women’s reservation law.

Mr. Tagore said that while a uniform 50% increase in seats might appear fair, the underlying population disparities between regions would inevitably tilt parliamentary representation towards States with higher population growth in the Hindi belt.

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

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

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

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

Party leaders now argue that the timing of the delimitation exercise could also have implications for the broader debate around caste-based representation.

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