‘BJP’s Bill in effect was to reserve seats for men’, alleges Congress spokesperson

Congress spokesperson Bhavya Narasimhamurthy has alleged that the women’s reservation Bill moved by the ruling BJP-led NDA in Parliament was, in effect, a measure to protect seats for men.

Speaking at a press conference in Shivamogga on Saturday (April 25, 2026), Ms. Narasimhamurthy said that when the Bill was tabled in 2023, it had received support from all parties. The Congress had urged the Centre to implement it immediately across all 543 parliamentary constituencies. However, the BJP introduced an amendment linking implementation of women’s reservation to delimitation, which would first require an increase in the total number of seats.