‘Debate me’: Devendra Fadnavis challenges opposition; Supriya Sule accepts

Jaipur protest: Rajasthan Pradesh Mahila Congress workers burn an effigy during a protest on women’s reservation, in Jaipur. Pic/PTI

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday challenged Opposition parties to publicly debate the Women's Reservation Bill and identify its flaws, accusing them of opposing women's empowerment. The BJP has announced a statewide campaign to collect one crore signatures from women in Maharashtra to build pressure for the Bill's implementation by 2029. The Opposition, however, said its stand has been misrepresented, maintaining that it supports women's reservation but opposes linking it to the delimitation process.

Supriya Sule: NCP-SP leader who said the Opposition supports women's reservation

CM's challenge

Fadnavis said the BJP is prepared for an open debate on the Bill
>> Accused Opposition of being "anti-women"
>> Claimed public pressure will force parties to support the Bill
>> Expressed confidence in the implementation by 2029 polls

Opposition response

NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule rejected the CM's claims, calling them misleading and accepted Fadnavis's challenge. "The Opposition had unanimously supported the Women's Reservation Bill in 2023, and it was passed. Now, they are attempting to introduce amendments by linking the reservation with the delimitation of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies," she said.

Devendra Fadnavis: Challenged Opposition to debate Women's Reservation Bill

She added
>> Opposition supports 33% reservation for women
>> Strongly opposes linking it to delimitation
>> Has urged the government to implement reservations in existing constituencies until updated census data is available

What happened in Parliament

The Narendra Modi-led NDA government suffered its first major legislative defeat since coming to power in 2014 when the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 was rejected in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026. The bill sought to amend the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies). Its key provisions included: >> Expanding Lok Sabha from

543 to 850 seats
>> Enabling delimitation based on the 2011 Census data, instead of waiting for the full post-2026 Census exercise
>> Allowing the 33 per cent women's reservation to be implemented earlier

Ranchi march: BJP women workers take out a torchlight procession against the Congress over the Women's Reservation Bill, in Ranchi on Sunday. Pic/PTI

BJP's pitch: Pro-women record

Fadnavis argued that the BJP has promoted women's leadership.
>> States such as Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat had their first women chief ministers under BJP rule
>> Claimed Congress failed to achieve this despite long periods in power

BJP's plan

The party will begin a large-scale campaign on Tuesday.
Target: One crore signatures from women across Maharashtra
Objective: Demonstrate public support and build political pressure
Kick-off: Meeting of BJP's women's wing, senior leaders and allies
The campaign comes days after the Bill's defeat in Parliament.

At a glance

Original law: Women's Reservation Act in 2023
Provision: 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state Assemblies
Current issue: 2026 amendment Bill linked reservation with delimitation
Status: Amendment Bill rejected in Lok Sabha
BJP plan: One crore signatures in Maharashtra
Target timeline: Implementation by 2029