BJP Blamed for Women’s Reservation Bill Failure, Says KTR; Demands Fresh Legislation Without Delimitation Link

Hyderabad, April 2026 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao on Friday squarely blamed the BJP for the failure of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament, alleging that the ruling party’s strategy of linking the legislation with delimitation led to its defeat.

In a strongly worded statement, KTR said that there was broad political consensus across parties, including the BRS, in favour of granting 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures. However, he accused the BJP of “deliberately complicating” the Bill by tying it to the contentious issue of delimitation, ultimately derailing its passage.

“The Bill could have been passed easily had it been introduced independently. Instead, the BJP chose to politicise the issue and deny women their rightful representation,” he said.

KTR argued that women’s reservation could have been implemented immediately within the existing strength of 543 Lok Sabha seats, without waiting for a delimitation exercise. He claimed that the BJP’s approach not only delayed a long-pending reform but also exposed what he described as the party’s lack of genuine commitment to women’s empowerment.

He further alleged that the move to link the Bill with delimitation was aimed at disadvantaging southern states, which have raised concerns over potential changes in parliamentary representation based on population. According to him, this strategy created divisions among parties and ensured that the Bill would not secure the required support.

Calling the development a “missed historic opportunity,” KTR said the people of the country had witnessed what he termed as “political drama” in the name of women’s reservation. “The BJP has used this issue for electoral gains, but when it came to actual implementation, it failed to deliver,” he remarked.

He urged the Centre to introduce a fresh Women’s Reservation Bill without linking it to delimitation and ensure its implementation from the next elections. He also emphasised that delimitation is a complex and sensitive issue that requires wider consultation with all stakeholders before any decision is taken.

Echoing similar sentiments, Telangana Jagruthi president K. Kavitha accused the BJP of misleading women across the country. She alleged that the government introduced the Bill despite knowing it lacked the numbers to pass it.

Kavitha further suggested that the government should wait until after the 2027 Census to incorporate provisions such as an OBC sub-quota, arguing that true representation must be inclusive of all communities.

The debate around the Bill continues to intensify, with political parties divided over both its intent and implementation, leaving the future of women’s reservation uncertain for now.