Behind the smokescreen
Poll considerations, not empowerment, prompted delimitation and women’s bills Alok Tiwari Last week the opposition won a rare victory in parliament when it blocked the government’s bills to undertake a fresh delimitation exercise for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and provide a 33% reservation for women in expanded houses. Had the move passed, it would have taken the Lok Sabha strength to 850 from the present 543. It would have also increased the strength of all state assemblies from the present just over 4,000 to over 6,000. The opposition had no problems with reserving one third of the seats for women. It saw red in linking the move with expanding the Lok Sabha and carrying out new delimitation process. That would have upset all political calculations. Southern states have long been against delimitation fearing losing political clout even more owing to relatively slower rate of population growth that they have achieved over the decades. They argued they have done better i...