Mumbai: Following PM Modi’s address on Thursday in the Lok Sabha on the Women’s Reservation and Delimitation Bills, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the government, saying the move was aimed at appeasement and said that it was being brought without a population census.
Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav's Statement
SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “This Bill is being brought without a population census or including the backward classes. It is being brought for appeasement. We are in favour of this Bill, but why are they bringing it right now? And which census is being considered? Every party supports this, but what about the new map of the constituencies prepared by ‘khufiya’ people? This question is about delimitation—how will the new constituencies be made?”
He, however, clarified that he is not against the Bill and, in fact, supports it, but questioned the timing of its introduction. He also raised concerns about which census data the government would rely on.
Speaking on delimitation, the Samajwadi Party chief asked how the constituencies would be formed and what the new map prepared by “khufiya” people would look like.
Women’s Reservation Bill and Delimitation Explained
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 mandates 33% reservation for women in legislatures and is currently tied to the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies. The government aims to roll out this reservation before the 2029 General Elections by amending the 2023 law and introducing a constitutional change to separate delimitation from the 2027 census.
Sources indicate that there is also a proposal to expand the Lok Sabha’s strength to 850 seats, 815 allocated to states and 35 to Union Territories, up from the current 543 seats.
