Opposition Questions Constitutionality of Women's Quota Bill

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 16 April 2026

• Govt introduces women’s quota and delimitation bills amid Lok Sabha; opposition calls it unconstitutional
• Heated debate over federal structure and linking women’s reservation with delimitation
• Bill’s clear introduction stage with 251 votes in favour, 185 against

The opposition and government faced off on the floor of Lok Sabha when the government introduced two bills Thursday to amend women's quota law and establish a delimitation commission. After introduction of the Bills by Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal and Home Minister Amit Shah (Delimitation Bill), both Houses erupted as Members voted on Bills.

An intense debate of approximately 40 minutes took place after introduction of the bills. The opposition challenged the introduction of Constitutional Bill, but supported it after a division of votes with 251 members voted in favour of the introduction of Constitutional Bill while 185 voted against its introduction.

Congress MP KC Venugopal voiced strong opposition to the introduction of the bills, claiming that this was an attempt to alter the constitutional fabric of the nation for certain motives.“I object to the bill introduced by Union Ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Amit Shah. This bill is a fundamental attack on the Indian federal structure. What exactly is the intention of this bill?”

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha intervened and requested that he keep his arguments until time for a debate will be allotted under Rule 72. He reassured the Opposition that they will have adequate time to present objections against the motion during the formal discussion.

'Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav backed women’s reservation in principle but questioned the urgency behind the bills. He said that the government should first conduct a Census before proceeding with delimitation-linked reforms, highlighting concerns over outdated population data.“Why is the government in a hurry? We are in favour of the Women's Reservation Bill. They don't want the census because then we will demand caste reservation, you want to mislead.”

Gaurav Gogoi, a member of the Indian Parliament, has also spoken out against this government attempt to create roadblocks and delay the implementation of women's reservation policies due to the link between women's reservation and delimitation.

He believes that women's reservations can be immediately implemented according to current Lok Sabha numbers and that the government is using the women's reservation bill as a backdoor method or connection to giving the power of delimitation to the Central Government.

“You are again and again creating hurdles for women's reservation. If you had listened to us in 2023, women's reservation would have been implemented in 2024," Gogoi said.

“Women's reservation should be implemented on the current strength of Lok Sabha — 543; it must not be linked to delimitation.” “This bill is not for women's reservation, but it is for delimitation through the back door,” he added.Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant spoke in the same vein. "We are not against women's reservation, but we have reservations about the delimitation bill. There are concerns about how such exercises are carried out," he added.

To amend the Constitution, it requires getting two-thirds of the members currently sitting in the House to vote for the amendment. In response to the opposition, the Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, said that the Census for 2021 will be completed later this year, which will include the enumeration of castes.

BJP MP Giriraj Singh expressed a strong belief that when the Proposed Amendments to the Women's Reservation Act are presented, Parliament will approve it quickly with the support of all Members of Parliament. "When the time comes for a vote on Amendment No. 131, I have no doubt every Member of Parliament will demonstrate that he or she cares about women who have been waiting for a long time and are losing their patience." "It is going to be passed unanimously," Singh told

The proposed Amendment states that the Government will be successful in passing the proposed Constitutional (One Hundred-31) Bill (proposed by Government of India) to terminate the Legislative Assembly Act and Legislative Council Act, in particular, to establish a new system to represent women by providing them with electoral rights in a manner equivalent to men. It affects the following provisions of the Constitution:

Where it is proposed to suspend the Rule of the Lok Sabha regarding the introduction of the following legislation, namely: The proposed Legislative Assembly-2026 and the proposed Legislative Council-2026 can not be passed unless they are approved by the House of Commons as part of the proposed Government of India's Constitution Amendment.