Congress pushes for immediate women’s quota rollout, holds protest march in Delhi

The Congress on Sunday stepped up its attack on the Modi government, demanding immediate implementation of 33 per cent women’s reservation in the existing Lok Sabha strength of 543 seats . The party also staged a protest march in Delhi, accusing the Centre of deliberately delaying the rollout of the long awaited quota for political reasons.

The demonstration, led by the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee , saw party workers march towards the BJP headquarters raising slogans against the government. The protest comes just two days after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill , which sought to operationalise women’s reservation by expanding Lok Sabha seats to 816 , was defeated in the Lower House.

Senior Congress leader and general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh participated in the protest and alleged that the government had failed to act on the demand to implement the quota from the current strength of Parliament.

He said the party had consistently pressed for implementing the “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam” from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections itself, but the demand was ignored and later delayed under procedural excuses. He further alleged that the government rushed to notify the law only when it faced parliamentary resistance on the broader Bill.

Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav , who led the march, said the party’s demand was clear: implement women’s reservation immediately within the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats, without linking it to delimitation or future exercises.

“All political parties supported the law in 2023, but linking it to census and delimitation has only delayed its execution,” said AICC spokesperson Ragini Nayak , accusing the Centre of shifting timelines for political convenience.

The protest also saw participation from Alka Lamba , president of the All India Mahila Congress, along with other senior leaders. Protesters gathered near the Delhi Congress office and later attempted to march towards the BJP headquarters, with reports of an effigy of the Prime Minister being burned during the demonstration.

The Constitution Amendment Bill, which proposed increasing Lok Sabha seats to implement the quota ahead of the 2029 elections, was defeated after it failed to secure the required two thirds majority . While 298 MPs voted in favour , 230 voted against it, falling short of the 352 votes needed for passage.