Defeat of delimitation bill exposes BJP's discomfort: TMC's Abhishek Banerjee

Kolkata: TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee asserted that the fallout from the defeat of the delimitation bill in the Lok Sabha has exposed the BJP’s “discomfort” in full public view.

Banerjee, considered number 2 in the TMC hierarchy, on Friday said that the NDA government must immediately act to implement women’s reservation.

The Constitution Amendment Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated in the lower house of Parliament on Friday.

In a post on X, Banerjee said, “The fallout from the defeat of the Delimitation Bill in the Lok Sabha is exposing the BJP’s discomfort for all to see.” Referring to the development in the Lok Sabha, Banerjee said the bill was rejected by the opposition INDIA bloc over concerns about fairness.

“The attempt to expand the Lok Sabha to 850 seats and push delimitation based on the 2011 Census raised serious concerns about fairness and balance,” he said.

Launching a sharp attack on the Centre, the TMC MP added, “The NDA government is clearly on borrowed time and the illusion of control is beginning to crumble in plain sight.” While 298 members voted in support of the bill in the Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.

On the issue of women’s reservation, Banerjee underscored that the law guaranteeing a 33 per cent quota for women has already been passed unanimously in September 2023 and has been in force since April 16, 2026.

“If the NDA government is serious, it should immediately bring forward the bill to notify one-third of the seats. Do it now,” he said.

He further claimed that the TMC has gone beyond legislative intent and ensured over 41 per cent representation of women in Parliament.

The bill also proposed a corresponding increase in the number of seats in the assemblies of states and Union Territories to facilitate a 33 per cent reservation for women.

The opposition parties had maintained that they were willing to support implementation of women’s reservation, provided it was delinked from the contentious delimitation exercise.