Implement women’s quota without delay, delink from delimitation: Brinda Karat to PM

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat on 21 April urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies without linking it to delimitation, stating that the condition had delayed the measure.

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, Karat said there could have been around 180 women Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha if the reservation had been implemented earlier without such linkage.

“Don’t shed tears… just act. Bring the women’s reservation bill without linkages, without conditions,” she said.

Criticism of linkage, political allegations

Karat described the linkage of women’s reservation to census and delimitation as an “obstacle” and called for its removal to enable immediate implementation.

She alleged that despite electoral promises, the Centre did not take steps to introduce or operationalise the quota earlier, including during previous terms when it had a parliamentary majority.

The CPI(M) leader also criticised remarks made by the Prime Minister in his recent address to the nation, stating that women’s organisations had led the long-standing movement for reservation.

“No… in all these years of struggle, we have never ever received any support from you,” she said in the letter.

Representation, data and concerns

Karat said that the number of women in the Lok Sabha currently stands at 74, and alleged that delays in implementation had reduced representation compared to potential levels.

She also pointed to Assembly election outcomes, stating that women’s representation in several states remained below 10 per cent.

Raising concerns over the use of older census data, she questioned whether it would impact representation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, alleging that updated demographic changes were not being accounted for.

Delimitation and broader debate

Karat said issues related to delimitation and increase in Lok Sabha seats should be discussed separately and not be tied to women’s reservation.

“Population of states cannot be the sole basis… let there be discussion and consultation,” she said, adding that the two issues were distinct.

She also supported the demand for a caste census, alleging reluctance on the part of the government to document social inequalities.

The women’s reservation framework passed in 2023 links implementation to the completion of delimitation following the next Census, delaying its rollout.

The recent defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha has intensified political debate, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Opposition parties attributing responsibility differently for the outcome.