Women's quota bill a cover for delimitation exercise, alleges Rohit Pawar

NCP SP leader Rohit Pawar on Tuesday accused the Union government of using the proposed womenrsquos reservation legislation as a cover to advance a larger delimitation exercise claiming the move was aimed at increasing parliamentary seats without a scientific basis reported PTIQuestions raised over linking quota bill with delimitationAddressing a press conference Pawar said that the womenrsquos reservation proposal was being linked to a broader plan to redraw parliamentary constituencies He alleged that the government was attempting to push delimitation under the guise of empowering women reported PTIHe pointed out that the womenrsquos reservation bill had already received support from across the political spectrum in 2023 and was passed in both Houses of Parliament Pawar questioned the rationale behind reintroducing the issue in a different form and linking it to constituency restructuringlsquoWomen being used as a political toolrsquoThe NCP SP leader argued that the proposal was not solely about enhancing womenrsquos representation but was part of a larger political strategy reported PTIldquoWomen are being used as a means to achieve another objective The focus should be on genuine empowerment rather than attaching unrelated measuresrdquo he said reported PTIPawar further alleged that the push for delimitation indicated a lack of substantive governance issues suggesting the government was prioritising political calculations over policy concernsOpposition claims it blocked lsquounscientificrsquo expansion of seatsAccording to Pawar the Opposition prevented what he described as an ldquounscientificrdquo attempt to increase the number of Members of Parliament through delimitation reported PTIHe said the government faced a setback in the Lok Sabha when the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill 2026 failed to secure the required twothirds majority During voting on April 17 298 members supported the bill while 230 voted against itConstitutional amendments require a higher threshold for passage leading to the billrsquos defeat in the Lower HouseConcerns over timing and electoral implicationsPawar also expressed suspicion about the timing of the proposal stating that raising the issue at this stage could indicate plans to alter the electoral timeline reported PTIHe suggested that the developments in Parliament may point to the possibility of advancing the general elections currently scheduled for 2029 though no official indication has been made by the government on this frontQuestions raised on Baramati plane crash probeIn addition to national political issues Pawar also raised concerns about the investigation into the Baramati plane crash in which Ajit Pawar and four others lost their lives on January 28 reported PTIHe questioned the pace of the probe and asked when the case would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation Pawar also sought clarity on why no action had been taken against the aviation firm involvedHe noted that the Maharashtra CID had received the zero FIR registered in Bengaluru and indicated it would conduct an inquiry but not a fullfledged investigation reported PTIDebate continues over representation and federal balanceOpposition parties have consistently argued that linking womenrsquos reservation to delimitation could adversely affect the representation of southern states They contend that any restructuring exercise must be handled carefully to maintain the federal balanceWith inputs from PTI