LoP Rahul Gandhi.
Voting on three key bills related to amendments to the women’s reservation law and the establishment of a delimitation commission is set to take place in the Lok Sabha at 4 pm on Friday, April 17, as announced by Speaker Om Birla.
A day earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured the House that southern states would not lose representation once delimitation is carried out alongside the implementation of the women’s reservation law.
He stated that the total number of Lok Sabha seats in the five southern States is expected to increase from 129 to 195, with their overall share rising slightly from 23.76 per cent to 23.87 per cent. He is expected to deliver a detailed reply to the debate on these bills later today.
Meanwhile, the Women’s Reservation Act, originally passed in 2023 to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures, officially came into force on April 16, 2026, following a notification by the Union Law Ministry.
However, the timing of this notification—amid ongoing parliamentary discussions to amend the law for implementation by 2029 — has raised questions, as the reasons behind this move remain unclear.
4:19 pm: Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi criticised what she termed “unparliamentary expressions” used by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi while opposing amendments to the women’s quota law.
Backing the Bills, she alleged that Opposition members were undermining the hopes and expectations of crores of women awaiting 33 per cent reservation.
On delimitation, Devi said Amit Shah would explain and clarify the details during his speech later in the House.
3:59 pm: Jammu and Kashmir MP from the National Conference (NC), Mian Altaf Ahmad, said there was no merit in the delimitation. He said chaos was carried out in its name in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam.
“If you want to carry out delimitation, it should be conducted with better credibility of the Delimitation Commission.. The commission visited Jammu and Kashmir only for two days and was primarily based in New Delhi, which created a lot of confusion,” he said.
3:54 pm: “If the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023, is implemented as the government has notified, we are ready to implement it from tomorrow based on 543 seats and it’ll happen,” BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said, adding, “Who will be responsible for southern states? They will lose out on seats and Rahul Gandhi will be responsible for it.”
The BJP said that the party believes in equality across all sections of society, and that Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, forward classes and backward classes are all treated the same. “The BJP works for the welfare of every group without discrimination,” he said.
3:50 pm: As BJP MP Nishikant Dubey was speaking about Congress leaders historically opposing the caste census, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav rose to ask questions on when it will be conducted and whether OBC women will be included in the women’s reservation law.
Kiren Rijiju said specific answers will be elaborated on during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s reply in the Lok Sabha. “Do not flip too many pages of the history book,” Yadav joked.
3:22 pm: “The central confusion in the minds of the BJP and its leadership is that they think they are the people of India. They are not the people of India. They think they are the armed forces. They are not armed forces. They are a political entity. Stop hiding behind the armed forces,” Rahul Gandhi said, as BJP MPs protest over the Congress leader’s remark.
3:12 pm: “My grandmother told me that real power, real strength always hides; it never shows itself. I am telling you this because everybody knows there is a partnership between our friend, the magician (referring to PM Modi), and a businessman (referring to Adani and Ambani),” said Rahul Gandhi amid uproar by ruling party MPs.
“The BJP knew very clearly that the Women’s Reservation Bill will not be passed. They are not stupid,” he added.
This was a panic reaction. The PM wanted to send a message that he is “pro-women,” Gandhi said.
2:57 pm: “I assure south, northeast and smaller states, we will not allow your representation be taken away. We will not let your representation get affected,” said Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha.
2:55 pm: NDA MPs object to Rahul Gandhi’s statement. “I will not yield,” Gandhi tells Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
2:52 pm: The BJP is telling south Indian states, the northeastern states, small states in India is that they are going to take away their representation. “This is an anti-national act. Under no circumstances are we going to allow this,” Rahul Gandhi said in Lok Sabha on Friday.
2:49 pm: Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in 2023, and the current one is being used for delimitation, said Rahul Gandhi. “The truth needs to be told,” he added.
“There is a local, cruel, unforgiving treatment of OBC, Dalit and other communities, minorities and women. Everyone knows how these communities were treated.
What the BJP is trying to do is avoid giving power and representation from such communities,” Gandhi said.
2:43 pm: “Yesterday (April 16), I saw my sister Priyanka Gandhi achieve something I was never able to do. She made Union Home Minister Amit Shah smile,” Rahul Ganshi quips, drawing laughter from the MPs.
2:39 pm: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi begins speech in Lok Sabha.
2:23 pm: The Centre has addressed all apprehensions and misconceptions relating to the women’s reservation and delimitation legislation “with facts and logic,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on X. “All concerns have been addressed and any gaps in information have also been filled,” he added.
“For nearly four decades, this issue of women’s reservation in legislative bodies has been inordinately delayed. Now is the time to ensure that half of the nation’s population receives its rightful due in decision making. Even after so many decades of Independence, it is not right that women in India have such limited representation in this area,” he posted.
“On behalf of our Nari Shakti,” Modi requested all MPs not to do anything that may hurt the sentiments of women across India. “Crores of women are watching us…our intent and our decisions,” he said.
2:16 pm: By bringing women into the core of the legislative system, “we are strengthening the very foundation of our democracy,” says Janata Dal (Secular) HD Kumaraswamy, indicating that his party will support the Women’s Reservation Bill.
2:13 pm: Increase women’s reservation to 51 per cent, urged Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) MP Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan. He said the issues related to women’s safety must be addressed first. “How can we protect women’s rights if women aren’t safe?,” he pointed out.
2:11 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are misguiding the Parliament, says DMK MP A Raja. “It is in the name of women’s rights, the govt is promoting discrimination among states. By discrimination you want to promote North-South divide,” he alleged.
“By perpetual power, you want to establish a theocratic state, by a theocratic state, you want to impose one language, one culture. We will not permit your dream to turn into reality. In Tamil Nadu, we will oppose it,” he warned.
2:00 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, urged all MPs to vote for the Women’s Reservation Bill. “Keeping in mind the memory of your mother, sister, daughter, wife in your home, listen to your conscience… This is a great opportunity to serve the women power of the country, to honor them.”
He told the MPs not to deprive women new opportunities. “This amendment will be passed by consensus, and the women power of the country will become even more empowered… the democracy of the country will become even more empowered,” he said in a post.
1:40 pm: “PM Modi said that no state will lose its share. Why is this assurance not written in law,” said Eden, adding that states that invested in education and reduced population growth are losing.
“So what are we telling that progress will cost power. Delimitation is not arithmetic, its power. Do not link women reservation to a process that will break the federal structure,” the Congress MP from Kerala said.
1:30 pm: The Delimitation Bill masked as the Women’s Reservation Bill is the loudest political statement by the BJP and the Modi government that they have already lost the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, said Congress MP Hibi Eden. “You cannot win the game, so you are just trying to change the rules,” she said.
1:28 pm: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the party doesn’t support the Delimitation Bill. “Democracy requires equal representation to all, whenever there is an election, BJP remembers women,”she said.
“My party supports women reservation but the Centre is shifting its goal post,” she said, adding that previously the Union government led by the BJP did not implement women reservation. “We reached Parliament without representation,” she said, demanding that women reservation must be implemented on the present capacity of Parliament without delimitation.
1:02 pm: You have brought this amendment because you see your vote share slipping, says Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Dimple Yadav. “Why wasn’t the census conducted over the last two-and-half years? Had this happened, the women’s reservation would have been implemented,”she said, asking why is the government was showing haste now.
“The SP believes that this is because the government wants to use the delimitation exercise as a weapon,” Yadav added. She also sought equal representation be given to SC, ST, OBC and women from minorities.
12:53 pm: Whether it’s 543 seats or 850 seats, the Telugu Desam Party supports the Women’s Reservation Bill,” says party MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu in Lok Sabha. “Union Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that there will be a 50 per cent increase of seats for southern states, so we won’t be losing any seats,” he added.
12:35 pm: Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) Kalyan Banerjee said the party supports women’s reservation but wants it implemented within the current strength of Parliament, without linking it to delimitation.
He also claimed the BJP has low women’s representation in Parliament and stressed that women’s reservation must be constitutional, not based on political convenience.
12:27 pm: Opposition members in the Lok Sabha on Friday questioned how the government could move amendments to the 2023 women’s reservation law before notifying the principal Act.
12:23 pm: As Parliament began discussions on amendments to the Women’s Reservation Act and the Delimitation Bill, Congress leaders Manickam Tagore, KC Venugopal, and P Chidambaram are working to ensure full attendance of INDIA bloc MPs in the House, sources told ANI.
12:12 pm: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor termed the Delimitation Bill a “profound shift in political power” and called for deeper discussion. He said, “Delimitation requires profound discussion,” adding that the government’s haste mirrors demonetisation, calling it “political demonetisation.”
He alleged, “The 50 per cent increase of seats formula proposed by Amit Shah is precarious political statement, it is not promised by legislature.” He also warned that expanding the Lok Sabha to 850 seats would make it unworkable and create imbalance with the Rajya Sabha.
“We will support the women reservation Bill but for the Delimitation Bill let us defer,” Mr. Tharoor said.
12:00 pm: Speaking in the Lok Sabha, YSRCP MP PV Midhun Reddy said his party and its leader, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, have consistently advocated women’s empowerment, adding, “Regarding women’s reservation, our party and our leader (YS Jagan Mohan Reddy) has always advocated empowering of women. So, we welcome the women’s reservation (bill) in any form, any time.”
11:56 am: On Women’s Reservation Bill, Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha MP P. Sandosh Kumar says, “Hard to believe PM Modi and Amit Shah that southern states’ representation will not be reduced when the bill says the last published census will be the basis of delimitation.”
11:55 am: Congress leader Karti Chidambaram on Women’s Reservation Bill, said, “What is the haste to hold a session while two big states are going for election in two weeks. Nothing is clear and transparent.”
11:48 am: Nominated member Harivansh Narayan Singh was elected unopposed as the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
11:41 am: On the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam notification, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said the 2023 Bill was passed with Opposition support and mandates delimitation based on population, which could change seat distribution across states.
11:37 am: On Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (women’s reservation bill) Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav says, “It is difficult to understand BJP and the decisions taken by them… They were carrying out NRC under the garb of SIR… Now under the garb of women’s reservation, they are carrying out the exercise of delimitation to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats so that they never lose…”
11:33 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Harivansh on being elected Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha for third term.
11:26 am: TMC MP Kirti Azad on Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam notification, says, “The BJP was sleeping for three years. What else can be said about them. They don’t know what they are doing. The Women’s Reservation Bill passed in 2023 mentioned that there will census, delimitation and then seats will be divided on that basis. Now, without a delimitation commission, they are talking about number of seats. What kind of government is this? They won’t be able to get this bill passed. This is Constitution Amendment Bill not Women’s (Reservation) Bill.”
11:22 am: On Women’s Reservation Bill, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut (
@KanganaTeam) says, “Many congratulations to all women. There is strong enthusiasm among them. The Prime Minister has made the impossible possible by passing a bill that had been pending for 30 years. Women will now take on leadership roles and help shape the country’s future. With women’s development, India is moving towards overall human development.”
11: 20 am: The Opposition demanded clarity from the government on the notification of the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023. In the Lok Sabha, DMK MP Kanimozhi questioned its timing and alleged that, under the guise of women’s reservation, it undermines India’s federal structure.
This post was last modified on April 17, 2026 4:19 pm