"Census, Delimitation Soon After Polls": Amit Shah On Women's Quota Bill

The Opposition's two big queries -- why the implementation of women's quota is being delayed by tying it to census and delimitation -- were addressed in parliament by Union Home Minister Amit Shah today. The Delimitation Commission is the only body that can take call on which seats to reserve, he said, indicating that census data is the bedrock on which such decisions are taken. As for the alleged delay, the task of census and delimitation would begin after next year's general election, he added. The government is trying to push through the bill to reserve 33 per cent seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies in the ongoing special session of Parliament. But the reservation can only be implemented after a census and delimitation exercise, which, under Article 82, can be conducted after 2026. This pushes the time frame of the quota implementation to 2029 -- which has been questioned multiple parties.