Chandigarh, April 20, 2026
The Punjab Congress on Monday warned against the delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies, saying it will reduce the proportionate share of states like Punjab and increase that of states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The party also criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party government for sabotaging the Women’s Reservation Bill and trying to blame the Opposition for it.
The party further took a dig at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s foreign trips, saying these were more of “vacation breaks” in the name of getting investment for the state.
State party president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, All India Congress Committee General Secretary Sukhjinder Randhawa, and All India Congress Committee Secretary Kuljeet Singh Nagra provided details and intentions behind the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill presented and defeated in Parliament on April 17.
The Congress leaders made it categorically clear that the Women’s Reservation Bill was not defeated in Parliament, but the Delimitation Bill.
They said the Bharatiya Janata Party tried to stealthily bring in the Delimitation Bill in the guise of the Women’s Reservation Bill, which had already been unanimously passed in Parliament in 2023.
They added that the Congress did not need any certificate from the Bharatiya Janata Party attesting to the provision of equal rights and reservations for women.
They pointed out that it was 39 years ago, in 1989, when Rajiv Gandhi introduced 33 per cent reservation for women in rural and urban local bodies, resulting in about 40 per cent of members in local bodies across the country being women.
The Congress leaders justified the party’s opposition to the amendment Bill, which led to its defeat, saying that if it had been allowed to be passed, the government would have brought in delimitation, which would have put states like Punjab and Tamil Nadu at a disadvantage while giving undue advantage to states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
They said that while the proportionate share of states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan will increase by 1.7, 1.2, and 1 per cent, respectively, that of states like Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal will decrease by 0.3, 1, 1, and 0.2 per cent, respectively.
They noted that the intentions are obvious: to increase the proportion where the Bharatiya Janata Party is strong and reduce the proportion where it is weak.
The Congress leaders also criticised Chief Minister Mann’s foreign trip, saying it was aimed at attracting investment. They said it was merely a “vacation trip” projected as an investment trip.(Agency)
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