Delimitation bill LIVE: South share won't be reduced, says Amit Shah

PM Modi warns against politicising women’s reservation debate

“As a friend I want to give an advice to those who are giving the issue a political colour. Ever since the discussion on women’s reservation started in the country, and after it whoever has opposed this right of women during elections, the women of the country did not forgive them,” said PM Modi.

Women’s quota delay politicised despite broad support, says PM Modi.

“We are already late. No matter who is responsible for it, the fact cannot be denied. Whoever we meet regarding this (Women’s Reservation Bill), admitted him. Barring one, we have discussed the issue with all other parties. None of them opposed it on principle. But after it, it is taking a political colour,” said PM Modi. 

PM Modi says women’s quota should have come earlier

“When the need for it (Women’s Reservation Bill) came to fore 25to 30 years ago, it should have been passed and taken forward. I don’t want to speak about us and them today. We are all MPs. We are going to give governance in the country a new direction,” said PM Modi.

Ramdas Athawale backs delimitation, links it to women’s quota

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Thursday defended the proposed delimitation exercise, arguing that it is central to expanding representation and enabling the rollout of women’s reservation.

“I think it is not right to oppose delimitation. Only after delimitation will the seats increase,” he said, linking the process directly to the proposed expansion of legislative bodies.

Athawale maintained that the reservation framework depends on this restructuring. “It is through delimitation that women will get reservation...Seats will also increase in the legislative assemblies,” he added.

While acknowledging that differing views are part of parliamentary debate, he criticised outright opposition to the proposal. “Everyone has the right to give suggestions, but opposing the bill is like taking an anti-women stance,” he said.

Shashi Tharoor calls the delimitation plan “political demonetisation”

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday criticised the government’s approach to delimitation, alleging that the proposed changes are driven by electoral considerations.

Framing his objection in direct terms, Tharoor said, “The issue is very simple. The govt has a plan to re-delimit the constituencies to increase the number of seats in the areas where the ruling party is strong.”

He argued that the push for women’s reservation is being used to advance that objective. “They are using women's reservation to bring about that change,” he said.

Summing up his criticism, Tharoor added, “This is political demonetisation.”

His remarks come amid a widening debate in the Lok Sabha over the intersection of women’s reservation and delimitation, with Opposition leaders questioning both the timing and intent of the proposed changes.

Akhilesh Yadav suggests party-based quota for women’s reservation

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday proposed an alternative approach to women’s reservation, suggesting that the current seat-based model could have unintended consequences within political parties.

He argued that fixing a quota of seats may lead to internal competition rather than broadening participation. “Akhilesh suggests a different model for women reservation. Arguing that implementing reservation on number of seats - 33 percent - would trigger "competition and flights among women", Akhilesh says the reservation should be applied to parties instead so that parties are bound to increase women's representation..,” he said.

Yadav’s remarks add another dimension to the ongoing debate in the Lok Sabha, where parties remain divided not just on the timing of implementation but also on the structure of the proposed reservation framework.

Akhilesh Yadav alleges political motive behind delimitation Bills

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav intensified his attack on the Centre in the Lok Sabha, alleging that the proposed legislation is driven by electoral calculations rather than policy intent.

Framing the move as politically motivated, he said, “The real reason behind bringing these Bills is that the BJP's political tactics have been completely exposed in all other matters. We saw that happening with the SIR, too. Their agenda is only to vote, and how to influence it.”

Yadav maintained that his party supports the principle of women’s reservation but objected to the timing and structure of the proposal. “We are all for women's reservation, but we are against the BJP's conspiracies; it's a conspiracy to not wait for the caste census publication because if they wait, then they will have to give quota within quota for OBC women.”

He also questioned the broader implications of the delimitation exercise. “What is this delimitation they are proposing. It is nothing but to influence the political map to suit them (BJP). We have seen this happening in Assam.”

Raising concerns about possible changes at the state level, he added, “We also suspect that delimitation is going to increase the number of seats in the UP Assembly to over 500, maybe to 600. We suspect that the BJP has some conspiracy behind that proposed increase, too.”

Akhilesh Yadav questions BJP record on women’s representation

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday questioned the BJP’s commitment to women’s representation, as the Lok Sabha continued its debate on legislation linked to women’s reservation.

“The BJP is trying to make naari (women) its naara (slogan), but can it tell us how many women are there in its parent organisation, the RSS?” he said, aiming at what he described as a gap between messaging and internal representation.

Yadav extended the criticism to the party’s governance record across states. “There are 21 states where the BJP and its allies are in power. How many of them have women CMs?” he asked.

Referring to the national capital, he added, “The one woman CM they have in Delhi is a half CM, because she has no power, all powers in Delhi are with the Centre.”

He also cited figures on legislative representation. “In these 21 states, the percentage of women BJP MLAs is not more than 10 per cent anywhere,” he said.

Tejasvi Surya backs delimitation under Narendra Modi

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Thursday voiced strong support for the proposed delimitation exercise, linking it to the current leadership at the Centre.

“I thank heavens that delimitation is going to be done when Narendra Modi is in power,” he said, expressing confidence in how the process would be handled under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Surya also drew a sharp comparison with a past political development, criticising the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s handling of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. “When the UPA government divided Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, that division was worse than the partition the British did of India in 1947,” he said.

His remarks came amid an ongoing debate in the Lok Sabha over delimitation and its implications for representation, with the issue drawing sharp reactions across party lines.

PM Modi to speak at 3 PM; Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to respond

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the Lok Sabha at 3 pm, with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra set to reply afterwards. Rahul Gandhi is expected to speak in the House tomorrow.