Congress member Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday accused the government of using the implementation of 33% women’s quota in legislative bodies as a cover for backdoor demarcation and using it for political gain instead of representation, and weakening the Constitution.
Speaking in Parliament as a three-day special session was held to discuss bills to expand the strength of the House of Representatives to implement the 33% women’s quota, he said Congress’s demand on the matter is the same as in 2023. He added that it should be implemented according to the current strength of the House, regardless of demarcation.
He questioned the proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats to 850, saying it was not based on any government or parliamentary report. Gogoi said the government intends to use border demarcation as a weapon for political gain, as happened in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Delimitation Bill, 2026, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 seek to increase Lok Sabha seats and conduct delimitation based on the latest 2011 Census figures, to begin quotas from the 2029 general elections.
BJP MP Tejaswi Surya hailed the bills as historic for women’s rights. “The Narendra Modi government will not only accelerate the implementation of the quota by 2029, but will also write a new chapter in India’s development journey. For the first time, it will give women in the country clear, visible, credible and tangible representation in the process of national building.”
Suriya addressed concerns about states in south India and geographically smaller states losing their seats after delimitation. Such countries could not have gotten a better deal, he said. Suriya added that some opposition members were involved in “systematic disinformation and propaganda in an irresponsible and chaotic manner” over the past few days to mislead people in south India.
