The Congress party plans to advocate for a 33% women's reservation within the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats, rather than a proposed 50% proportional increase in every state's parliamentary strength. This move comes as the party prepares to oppose the delimitation bill in the upcoming special sitting of Parliament.
According to Congress leaders, the party will also push the government to delay the delimitation exercise for a more equitable distribution of seats. The party aims to formulate a common strategy and ensure its members are present in large numbers to oppose the delimitation bill during voting in both Houses.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge referred to an article written by Sonia Gandhi on the issue, stating that the real issue behind the Modi government's special session of Parliament is not women's reservation but delimitation and delaying the caste census.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi emphasized that any delimitation involving an increase in the strength of the Lok Sabha must be politically, and not just arithmetically, equitable.
The party also plans to seek the roll out of women reservation within the current strength of the Lok Sabha and push for the inclusion of OBCs within the women's quota.
