Women's reservation: Rahul Gandhi, Kiren Rijiju clash over delimitation linkage

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday (August 8, 2026) engaged in a sharp exchange on social media platform X over the implementation of the women's reservation law and its linkage to a fresh delimitation exercise.

The exchange began after Mr. Gandhi posted a video speaking about the need to harness the "energy" of India's women and free them from patriarchy. Mr. Rijiju responded by calling it a "positive message" and said there was a "visible change of heart" in Mr. Gandhi. He challenged the Congress to support the Women's Reservation Bill "unconditionally".

Hitting back, Mr. Gandhi said the Congress had already supported the legislation and asked why its implementation had been held up for three years. "Why has it still not been implemented even after three years, and why do you now want to unnecessarily link it to delimitation?" he asked, adding, "Implement the 2023 law. Without any conditions."

Mr. Rijiju, responding to Mr. Gandhi, explained that the reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies is provided under the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. He said its provisions would come into effect only after a delimitation exercise based on Census figures published after the Act's passage in 2023. Since the figures for the ongoing 2026 Census, including caste enumeration, could take substantial time, implementation could be delayed until at least the 2034 General Election, he added.

The Minister argued that if women's reservation was to be implemented from the 2029 General Election, delimitation would have to be undertaken at the earliest, using the latest available Census figures. He noted that the implementation methodology has been proposed under the Delimitation Bill, 2026, introduced in the Lok Sabha along with constitutional amendments. However, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, introduced for this purpose, was defeated in the Lok Sabha.

In his video, Mr. Gandhi said India could not become a successful country without women being able to express themselves freely. "Our country is stunted and incomplete without the expression of women," he said, calling for women to be able to question their parents, husbands, and brothers, and to speak without fear.

Mr. Rijiju, in response to the video, said: "Now, I hope the Congress Party will support the Women's Reservation Bill unconditionally."

The exchange came amid the government's renewed effort to push through the delimitation package. In April, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc voted against the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which sought to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 seats and reserve 33% of them for women after a fresh delimitation exercise. Opposition parties raised concerns over the implications of a fresh delimitation for the political representation of states that have successfully pursued population control.

Although the government failed to secure the required two-thirds majority of 360 in the current 540-member Lok Sabha (with three vacancies) on April 17, 2026, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has since added more members. Since April, the government has secured the support of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs, now part of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), and six Shiv Sena MPs from the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) faction, who have switched to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Despite repeated denials from the party, political circles speculate that the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has eight MPs, could also extend support to the government.