Parliament Session Live: Implement quota on 543 seats, don’t link to delimitation, says Gogoi
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said women’s reservation should be implemented on the current Lok Sabha strength of 543 and not be tied to delimitation. He alleged the government is using the bills to push delimitation “through the backdoor”, accused it of not favouring a caste census, and said the move amounts to “bulldozing” delimitation in the name of women’s quota while creating obstacles to its actual implementation.
Parliament Session News: Gaurav Gogoi says delimitation ‘weaponised’ for women’s quota push
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi accused the government of using delimitation as a “weapon” and “bulldozing” it alongside the Women’s Reservation Bill. Citing examples of Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, he alleged the process is being used to reshape political representation under the guise of implementing the quota.
Lok Sabha Session Live: Gaurav Gogoi questions linking of delimitation with women’s quota
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi questioned the Centre’s move to link delimitation with the Women’s Reservation Bill, raising doubts over the government’s intent. He said the government had earlier indicated that delimitation and the census would follow 2024, but is now tying them to the quota rollout. He said the Congress has always supported women’s reservation while criticising the delay in conducting the census.
Parliament Session Live: No state will lose seats, women’s quota to cover 272 of 815 MPs, says Union Minister Meghwal
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the Women’s Reservation framework, passed in 2023, will be implemented after the census and delimitation exercise, with a proposed 50% increase in Lok Sabha strength to 815 seats. He said 272 seats — one-third of the total — will be reserved for women, asserting that no state will lose representation and existing strengths will be protected.
Parliament Special Session Live: Census must precede quota bill, says Dimple Yadav
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav said a proper census, including caste enumeration, is a crucial first step missing from the Women’s Reservation Bill, alleging the government is avoiding its earlier commitment. She argued the bill has been shaped to suit the Centre’s convenience and stressed that existing reservations for women from SC and ST communities trace back to the framework laid down by B R Ambedkar.
Parliament Session Live: ‘Delimitation plot exposed’, TMC's Derek O’Brien targets NDA
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien accused the BJP-led NDA of pushing a “sinister” delimitation agenda, calling it a desperate move in Parliament. In a post on X, he asserted that the Opposition would defeat the move, saying the ruling coalition “will fail” in its attempt.
Parliament Special Session Live: 12-hour debate on key bills; voting to be held at 4 pm tomorrow
Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the House will take up a 12-hour discussion on the key bills, with the possibility of extending it further if members agree, even up to 18 hours.
Parliament will function till midnight as part of the extended debate, with voting on the legislations scheduled for 4 pm on Thursday.
Parliament Session Live: Constitution amendment bill on women’s quota introduced after division
The Constitution amendment bill to operationalise the Women’s Reservation law was introduced in the Lok Sabha following a division of votes. The bills were initially being passed by voice vote, but a division was sought by the Opposition, prompting a formal voting process.
The final results showed 251 votes in favour and 185 against, clearing the move to restore the bills in the House.
Parliament Session Live: Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi among Congress speakers for Day 1
The Congress has lined up key leaders including Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Manish Tewari, Praniti Shinde, K Suresh and Mohammed Javed to speak during the debate on Day 1 of the session.
Parliament Session Live: 207 MPs back Constitution Amendment Bill’s introduction; 86 NDA MPs absent during vote
Lok Sabha MPs voted in favour of introducing the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, after the Opposition pressed for a division. The motion was cleared with 207 votes in favour and 126 against, while 86 NDA MPs were not present during the voting, even as the proceedings now move to the debate stage.
Parliament Session Live: 207 back govt in vote; debate on bills next, NDA sees absences
As many as 207 MPs voted in favour of the government in the division, clearing the way for discussion on the bills in the House. Sources indicated that 86 NDA MPs were not present during the vote, even as the proceedings now move to the debate stage.
Parliament Session Live: Rajya Sabha adjourned, to reconvene at 11 am on April 17
Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till tomorrow, to meet again on Friday, 17 April, 2026 at 11 am.
Parliament Special Session Live: Opposition seeks division as House votes on women's quota bill’s introduction
The Opposition has demanded a division of votes as the Lok Sabha takes up voting on the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill. The motion requires a simple majority for introduction, with voting currently underway in the House.
Lok Sabha Debate Live: 'Caste census underway, no religion-based quota,' says Amit Shah in counter to SP's charges
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the census exercise has already begun and will include caste enumeration when individual data is collected, assuring the House that the government has taken a decision to conduct a caste census.
Responding to Opposition's remarks, he said any demand for reservation on religious grounds is unconstitutional, reiterating that the Constitution does not permit quotas based on religion while defending the government’s position during the debate.
Lok Sabha Session Live: ‘Why the haste?’ Akhilesh Yadav flags census, quota concerns
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the government’s urgency in bringing the bill, asking why a census has not been conducted. He alleged the Centre is avoiding a caste census as it would lead to demands for expanded reservations, accusing the government of pushing the move in haste without addressing these concerns.
Lok Sabha Session Live: 'Will not support without OBC, Muslim women quota', Samajwadi Party opposes bills
Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav said the party strongly opposes the three bills on constitutional grounds, alleging they attempt to “distort” the Constitution, particularly by separating delimitation from the census.
Speaking on behalf of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, he said the party would not back the women’s reservation bill unless it includes provisions for OBC and Muslim women, and urged the government to withdraw the bills and implement the 2023 law instead.
Lok Sabha Debate Live: Amit Shah tells Venugopal to limit objections, promises strong reply
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Congress MP KC Venugopal cannot speak on the merits of the bills at the stage of introduction and can raise only technical objections. Shah added that the government will give a strong reply to the Opposition during the course of the debate in the House.
Parliament Session Live: Union Ministers move 3 key bills; Congress opposes in Lok Sabha
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal proposed the introduction of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, and also moved the Delimitation Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Congress MP KC Venugopal opposed the introduction of all three bills, registering the party’s objection in the House.
Parliament Session News: Govt tables women’s quota bill, Law Minister opens debate
The government has tabled the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha, marking the start of the key legislative push in the special session. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal opened the debate, initiating discussions on the proposed legislation.
Parliament Special Session Live: Sonia Gandhi says party stand ‘very clear’ on quota bill
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said the party’s position on the Women’s Reservation Bill has already been clearly articulated. “I have nothing more to add,” she told India Today, reiterating the Congress’s stated stance on the issue.
