Letters to The Editor — April 22, 2026

The larger message

The defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which linked women’s reservation to a new delimitation exercise in the Lok Sabha, is a great setback for the central government, which had sought to push the Bill through in what critics described as a move to undermine political representation from the southern States. This also highlights the strong opposition to the proposed redrawing of electoral maps. True women’s empowerment rests on social justice, which cannot be achieved without a caste census and fair representation for all.