Pune, Apr 21 (PTI) NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar on Tuesday alleged that the Union government’s proposed delimitation exercise was an attempt to “unscientifically” increase seats in Parliament, and the plan was disguised under the garb of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
Addressing the press conference, Pawar noted that in 2023, all parties, including the Opposition, had supported the women’s reservation Bill, which was passed in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and questioned the BJP government’s plan to link it to a delimitation exercise.
The women’s quota Bill was a “precursor” to the BJP’s larger delimitation plan, and it was attempting to push it under the garb of the legislation, the Opposition party leader said.
“Why does the BJP want to go for delimitation? They have no other issues to raise, which is why they are pursuing this. Women are being used as bait,” he said.
He further questioned the need to introduce the Bill, which was passed in 2023, again in the Lower House.
“This time, the BJP planned to push a delimitation exercise to pave the way for increasing the number of MPs,” he claimed.
“There was an attempt to increase the number of MPs unscientifically, but the Opposition thwarted the move, and the government had to face defeat in the voting,” he said.
Pawar also expressed suspicion about the timing, stating that the manner in which the issue was raised in Parliament suggested the government might be considering advancing the general elections scheduled for 2029.
The Karjat-Jamkhed MP also spoke about the Baramati plane crash, in which former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was killed along with four others on January 28.
“Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will address voters in Baramati during the day. People of Baramati want to know when the state government will hand over the air crash case to the CBI? Why is the pace of the probe slow, and why has no action been initiated against aviation firm, VSR Ventures founder V K Singh?” he said.
He claimed that the Maharashtra CID, which is probing into the accidental death, has received the zero FIR registered in the case in Bengaluru, and has said that it would enquire into it but not investigate.
The Constitution Amendment Bill, implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, failed to pass in the Lower House of Parliament on April 17. During the division of votes on the Constitution (131st) Amendment Bill, 2026, 298 votes were cast in favour and 230 against.
A two-thirds majority is required to pass any Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha.
The Opposition parties have alleged that the Bill, linked to a delimitation exercise, if implemented, would have shrunk the representation of the southern states. PTI SPK ARU
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