Amit Shah–Akhilesh Yadav Face-Off in Lok Sabha Over Women’s Quota, Delimitation Bills

A face-off erupted in the Lok Sabha between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday, as the Centre introduced key Bills linked to women’s reservation and delimitation, triggering a sharp political confrontation. The Union government tabled three legislations, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to amend the existing women’s quota law, the Delimitation Bill, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill to extend the revised framework to Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir, setting off heated exchanges in the House.

The confrontation intensified after Akhilesh Yadav questioned the Centre’s urgency in pushing forward the women’s reservation framework without completing the national census. Speaking in the House, Yadav reiterated that his party supports women’s reservation in principle but opposed its implementation through delimitation. “Why are you in such a hurry? Why is the Centre rushing for women's reservation? Start with the census first. Samajwadi Party is for women's reservation, but is opposed to the approach via delimitation.”

He further alleged that the government was deliberately delaying the census to avoid demands for caste-based enumeration. “As soon as the census is done, we will ask for the caste census, and then the reservation issue will come. Hence, you want to do dhokha with us [cheat us].” Reinforcing his stance, Yadav added, “We support women quota in legislature; but why not hold census?”

Responding sharply, Shah said the census process had already commenced and confirmed that caste enumeration would be included. “Census 2027 is on; we have decided to go for caste enumeration,” Shah said, adding that enumeration work was already underway.

Taking a swipe at the Opposition, he remarked, “If it were up to the Samajwadi Party, they would even assign castes to households.” Shah also rejected the idea of religion-based reservations. “Reservation based on religion is unconstitutional.”

The exchange grew more pointed when Yadav questioned whether Muslim women would be included within the reservation framework. “Will Muslim women, who make up half the population, also get separate reservations?” Amit Shah responded, “We are not stopping the Samajwadi Party from giving all their tickets to Muslim women.”

As tempers rose, Om Birla intervened and urged members to maintain decorum during proceedings. Meanwhile, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal outlined the government’s roadmap for implementing the women’s reservation law.

The confrontation comes amidst a special sitting of Parliament from April 16 to 18 to pass amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. At the core of the Opposition’s resistance is the proposed delimitation exercise, which seeks to redraw constituencies and reallocate seats based on population data. The plan includes increasing the Lok Sabha’s strength from 543 seats to as many as 850, a move that could significantly reshape political representation across states. Opposition parties have expressed concern over the reliance on the 2011 Census for such a major overhaul, warning that it could alter the balance of representation ahead of the 2029 general elections.