New Delhi, August 6: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju reached out to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi via phone to request support for the reintroduction of the Delimitation Bill.
Sources indicate that Rijiju focused on reducing differences regarding this issue. This marks his third attempt to discuss the matter with Gandhi during the Monsoon session.
Rijiju is reportedly working to gather support for the Delimitation Bill. He mentioned that if the opposition backs its swift reintroduction, the process for implementing women’s reservation could be expedited.
Previously, during the budget session in April, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 failed to pass in the Lok Sabha.
According to sources, Rijiju warned Gandhi that failing to implement women’s reservation could lead to discontent among women. During their phone conversation, Gandhi did not make any firm commitments and requested time to consult with Congress allies and members of the INDIA bloc regarding the Delimitation Bill.
Reports suggest that Gandhi stated the need for a detailed discussion with allies about the government’s attempts to gain opposition support for the Delimitation Bill, after which a clear stance would be communicated.
On Wednesday, Congress MP K.C. Venugopal reiterated that the party’s position on the proposed Delimitation Bill remains unchanged. Speaking to the media in Parliament, Venugopal noted that Rijiju was interested in understanding the opposition’s stance. He dismissed rumors that they had discussed the Delimitation issue, stating that they had only requested time to respond.
He emphasized, “Our position is very clear. We stand by the stance we took during the last parliamentary session. There has been no change.”
Earlier in April, Congress MP Manish Tewari highlighted that the opposition had strongly opposed the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, preventing its passage in the Lok Sabha. The concern was that the women’s reservation could be a guise for altering the country’s political and demographic landscape.
Tewari stated that the opposition would be willing to support women’s reservation if it were implemented within the existing framework of parliamentary seats.
Before the Monsoon session, the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 appeared to divide the INDIA bloc, as it linked the delimitation process to women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
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