New Delhi, 16 April (H.S.):

Three pivotal bills advancing women's reservation in Parliament were tabled Wednesday during a special session, igniting immediate opposition backlash. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, while Home Minister Amit Shah presented the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Congress leader K.C. Venugopal accused the government of attempting to hijack the Constitution. Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav demanded quotas for Muslim women, deeming the laws meaningless otherwise; Akhilesh Yadav echoed this, questioning provisions for half the population.

Shah retorted sharply, deeming religion-based reservations unconstitutional and suggesting the SP field Muslim women candidates freely. The exchange underscored deep partisan rifts on equity and secularism.

The amendment proposes inflating Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850—815 for states, 35 for Union Territories—with precise allocation post-delimitation. Of these, 273 seats would reserve for women, aiming to empower female representation after boundary redraws.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar