Opposition parties have vowed to defeat the government's legislative proposals to expand the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 for implementing 33% women's reservation. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, called the bills "anti-national" and demanded that women's reservation should take into account the caste enumeration proposed in the 2027 census.
Gandhi said that the government's proposal would reduce the share of smaller states, southern states, and the northeast states, which is a major loss for them. He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of wanting to use the 2011 census figures, which do not have OBC figures, to snatch away the representation of backward castes.
The opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, have decided to unite and oppose the bills in both Houses of Parliament. They argue that the delimitation based on the 2011 census will put southern states at a disadvantage and that the government is making a "politically motivated" move to suppress the opposition parties.
The opposition will require a minimum of 181 votes to defeat the bill, which will be introduced in the Lok Sabha today. The government needs the support of 360 MPs to pass the bill, and the opposition parties are confident that they can defeat it.
