NCP and INDIA Bloc Demand All-Party Talks on Delimitation Bill

The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and other members of the INDIA bloc are demanding comprehensive all-party dialogue before the Government of India reintroduces the Delimitation Bill during the Monsoon Session starting July 20. This follows the April 17 failure of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which sought to implement a 33 percent women's reservation and expand parliamentary seats but failed to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.

Supriya Sule dismissed media reports suggesting her party would support the bill, calling such claims inaccurate and speculative. She stated that the NCP (SP) would only consider support if the legislation explicitly includes a provision to increase Lok Sabha and state Assembly seats by 50% for all states in equal proportion. This condition aims to protect southern states from population-based seat losses. While Union Home Minister Amit Shah previously offered verbal assurances of a proportional increase, opposition leaders argue these are not reflected in the written text.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut reinforced this position, asserting that the INDIA alliance will resist unilateral attempts to increase seats without collective agreement among partners. Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party has opposed using delimitation to weaken the opposition and demanded the implementation of women's reservation before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The government is currently attempting to build a legislative majority by courting the NCP (SP), the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and the Samajwadi Party.