With the special session of Parliament starting April 16, the Union government is expected to take up the women’s reservation Bill, alongside moving ahead with the delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats. These are two distinct issues - one concerning representation for women, and the other reshaping political representation across States.
The advancement of women’s reservation is a welcome step - one that the Indian National Congress has consistently championed for decades. Given the significance of this reform, any attempt to link it with an unscientific and unilateral exercise of redrawing representation raises serious concerns. Women’s reservation can be implemented within the current delimitation itself; it need not be made contingent on a fresh exercise.
South India’s reaction
Unsurprisingly, the proposed delimitation has triggered strong reactions in South India - and sensing the political heat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now chosen to speak, offering what he calls “reassurance” to southern States that they will not lose out, as seat increases will be proportionate (50%) across States. But reassurance, especially when timed with political calculations in poll-bound States, raises more questions than it answers.
