Kharge Accuses Centre of Using Women’s Reservation Bill to Consolidate Power

New Delhi, April 2026 : Mallikarjun Kharge, President of the Indian National Congress, on Saturday alleged that the Centre’s real intention behind the proposed amendment to the Women’s Reservation framework is to alter the constitutional structure and concentrate executive power.

Taking to social media platform X, Kharge reiterated that the Congress has consistently supported women’s reservation. He noted that in 2023, the party backed the Women’s Reservation Bill and played a role in ensuring its passage. However, he criticised the present move by the government to link the provision with delimitation, calling it unacceptable to the Opposition.

Kharge claimed that the government had introduced an additional amendment under the guise of promoting women’s representation by incorporating delimitation into the framework. According to him, this linkage raises concerns about the government’s broader political intentions.

“In doing so, the government has conflated the legislation regarding women’s reservation with that of delimitation. By introducing a Bill linked to delimitation, the Modi government seeks to consolidate its power,” he said.

The Congress leader emphasised that his party had proposed implementing women’s reservation within the existing strength of 543 Lok Sabha seats. He suggested that any expansion of seats through delimitation could be considered later, after the completion of the census and related processes.

“Our contention was clear — women’s reservation should be implemented within the current framework. Subsequently, once census and delimitation exercises are completed, expansion can be considered for future elections. However, the government is unwilling to adopt this approach,” Kharge stated.

Reiterating his criticism, he further alleged that the Centre’s larger objective is to reshape the constitutional framework to its advantage. “In reality, the Modi government’s true intent is to alter the constitutional structure and centralise executive authority,” he said.

Meanwhile, proceedings in both Houses of Parliament — the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha — were adjourned after the proposed amendment failed to clear a crucial hurdle. The Centre was unable to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha for the passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The bill received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling short of the threshold required for constitutional amendments. The legislation had been introduced with the stated objective of enabling women’s reservation while also facilitating delimitation.

Following the setback, the government decided not to proceed with voting on delimitation and the proposed expansion of Lok Sabha seats, stating that both measures were interconnected.

The development has intensified the political debate between the ruling government and the opposition, with disagreements centring on the implementation of women’s reservation and its linkage with electoral restructuring.