Published Jul 15, 2026 | 5:35 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 15, 2026 | 5:35 PM
Supriya Sule dismissed reports claiming the NCP (SP) was ready to back the Bills as speculation.
Synopsis: Speculation is rife that the Union government is seeking the support of the DMK and the NCP (SP) to reintroduce the contentious delimitation Bills, which were defeated in the Lok Sabha in April. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram urged both parties to “stand firm” in their opposition to the Bills, while reports suggesting that the NCP (SP) may support them if they are reintroduced were dismissed by party leader Supriya Sule as baseless speculation.
Three months after the NDA-led Union government’s attempt to pass the contentious 131st Constitution Amendment Bill failed in the Lok Sabha, the Centre is expected to table it once again, this time with enough support to secure its passage.
The Bill was introduced in April alongside the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, with the stated objective of expediting the implementation of 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and the state Assemblies.
Opposition parties, however, criticised the Bills as an attempt to deprive southern states of their representation in Parliament under the guise of women’s reservation.
Speculation has been rife since Tuesday, 14 July, that the NDA is actively courting support from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) [NCP(SP)].
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member P Chidambaram, in a post on X on Tuesday, urged the two parties to “stand firm” in their opposition to the Bill.
“The failed Bill purported to reserve for women one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies but its real purpose was to pave the way for delimitation and, possibly, gerrymandering of constituencies… After splitting the TMC, the BJP is reportedly wooing the NCP(SP) and the DMK to garner the crucial votes to support the new version of the failed Bill. NCP(SP) and DMK have been clear-headed about the real purpose of the failed Bill and it is expected that they will stand firm in the future too,” the former Union Minister wrote.
“Any support to a new version of the failed Bill—whose real purpose is delimitation—will be a betrayal of their own conscience that guided them in April 2026. Delimitation of constituencies under the present formula will cause grave injustice to the rights of States that had faithfully followed the National Population Policy and contained the growth of the State’s population. States’ rights must be fiercely guarded against the rampaging BJP.”
The BJP is planning to bring back the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill that failed in the last session of Parliament in April 2026
The failed Bill purported to reserve for women one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies but its real purpose was to pave…
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) July 14, 2026
Much of the speculation stems from a reported meeting between NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, during which the two are said to have discussed the Bill.
Several reports claimed that the NCP (SP) would support the Union government’s proposed Delimitation Bill if it provided for a 50 percent increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats for all states.
Sule, however, dismissed the reports as speculation.
“I wish to clarify that neither I nor the party has had any official discussion with any media organisation on this subject. As with every issue of constitutional importance, our party’s position is determined only after detailed consultations within the party and with our allies – INDIA alliance. Therefore, any reports attributing a definitive stand to us are without basis,” Sule wrote in a post on X.
“It would be inappropriate to comment on any proposal until the Government formally places the revised delimitation legislation before Parliament. Since no such Bill has yet been made available, any speculation regarding its contents or our position would be premature.”
Recent reports appearing in sections of the media regarding the stand of the Nationalist Congress Party Sharadchandra Pawar (@NCPspeaks) on the issue of delimitation are inaccurate and speculative. I wish to clarify that neither I nor the party has had any official discussion…
— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) July 15, 2026
The DMK was among the fiercest opponents of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill when it was introduced in the Lok Sabha in April.
Party president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin led its campaign against the proposal, stating that a population-based delimitation exercise would reduce the representation of southern states that had successfully controlled population growth.
On 16 April, Stalin staged a black-flag protest and burned a copy of the draft Bill. The DMK also organised statewide protests and appealed to people to hoist black flags at their homes and commercial establishments for three days.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
