Congress president Kharge announces all-party meeting on Women’s Reservation Act on April 15

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the party will convene an “all-party meeting” on April 15 to discuss the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act , while accusing the Centre of not holding adequate consultations with all stakeholders.

Kharge said the Congress fully supports the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam , which guarantees 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies , but stressed that its execution requires wider political consensus given its national significance.

He pointed out that the Centre has also called discussions, but alleged that it is not prepared for a truly inclusive all-party consultation . “If they call all parties and allow discussions, we can participate and offer our suggestions. But they are not prepared to call an all-party meeting. That is why we are once again convening an all-party meeting on April 15,” Kharge said.

The Congress chief further said the party has already responded to communications from the Centre and reiterated that decisions of such magnitude must be taken collectively. “When a decision concerning the country is made, it has larger implications. All parties must sit together and decide how it should be implemented,” he added.

Kharge also dismissed allegations that Congress opposes the legislation, stating that the party has consistently supported women’s reservation . He noted that Congress had earlier backed the one-third quota proposal , and implemented reservation for women in panchayats, zila panchayats, and municipal corporations under earlier initiatives.

According to him, the law has already been passed unanimously in Parliament, and any attempt to portray political differences is misleading. “We are not opposed to the Act. They are trying to take political advantage,” he said.

The Budget Session of Parliament has been extended, and a special three-day sitting (April 16–18) has been scheduled, during which amendments related to the Act are expected to be discussed as part of its implementation framework .

However, the rollout of the law is tied to a future Census and subsequent delimitation exercise , after which parliamentary and assembly constituencies will be redrawn. Because of this process, implementation is widely expected only around 2029 or later .