Mallikarjun Kharge urges PM Modi to call all-party meeting to discuss delimitation

New Delhi [India], July 16 : Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene an All-Party Meeting to discuss the government's "revised proposals" on the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The Constitution Amendment Bill, linked to 33 per cent women's reservation in legislatures and delimitation in the Lok Sabha, was defeated in the Lower House on April 17, after it received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling significantly short of the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of members present and voting.
Amid speculation around the Centre's bid to bring the Bill back in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, beginning on July 20, Kharge asked for "adequate time" to study the proposed legislation before its introduction in Parliament.
In a letter to PM Modi, the Congress chief wrote, "All of March and April, 2026, I had been writing to Hon'ble Minister of Parliamentary Affairs requesting that the Union Government convene an All Party Meeting to discuss its proposals regarding Delimitation etc. Unfortunately, these requests had not been accepted. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, then failed to secure the required 2/3rd majority in Lok Sabha on 17 April, 2026 by a clear margin."
"I have been reading in media reports that the Union Government now proposes to reintroduce a revised (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 during the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. I would, once again, request you to convene an All-Party Meeting to discuss the Government's revised proposals on delimitation, etc., and give us adequate time to study them in detail before they are introduced in Parliament," the letter read.
Earlier today, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the party would strongly oppose the proposed Delimitation Bill if it is reintroduced in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Strategy Group, Ramesh said the party had held detailed discussions on the Bills that were likely to be introduced during the session. He added the party was yet to receive the government's official legislative agenda and would get details at the all-party meeting scheduled for July 19.
Reiterating the party's stand, Ramesh said, "Congress Party's stand has always been clear: we will strongly oppose the Delimitation Bill and continue to do so. We will make every effort to maintain unity among all opposition parties."
He acknowledged that the NDA has a bigger strength now with 20 TMC MPs merging with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs joining the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Meanwhile, NCP(SCP) MP Supriya Sule has dismissed media reports suggesting the party will support the Union government's proposed Delimitation Bill, terming the depiction of the party's stand as "inaccurate and speculative."
The Delimitation Bill aimed at increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha up to 850.