Women’s quota Bill defeat shows BJP lacks people’s mandate: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said the BJP-led NDA has “no right to remain in power” after failing to pass the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, arguing the setback showed the government does not represent the will of the people.

Addressing party workers, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, “The failure of the government to pass the Bill means it does not represent the will of the people. The opposition, in real terms, represents people’s will.”

Yadav also questioned the framework of the proposed women’s reservation, insisting that it should not be implemented without updated population data. “If the base itself is flawed, how can the outcome be correct? If 2011 Census figures are used, the very ground for women’s reservation will become incorrect,” he said, adding that a fresh census must precede any such move.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which sought to operationalise 33% reservation for women in legislatures by expanding Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816 after a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census, was defeated in the Lower House on Friday.

Raising concerns over representation, Yadav said it was essential to ensure adequate participation of Dalits, backward classes, tribals and minorities, which, he argued, cannot be guaranteed without updated data. He warned that “mere reservation without preparation” would lead to tokenism.

The SP leader also accused the BJP of pursuing divisive politics, alleging it first creates mistrust, then polarises communities, and finally consolidates support through fear — a strategy he described as the “CMF formula”.

He further claimed the ruling party was attempting to divide women voters but expressed confidence that women would reject such politics while focusing on issues like inflation, healthcare and social challenges.

With PTI inputs