Chidambaram Claims BJP Courts NCP (SP), DMK Support For 131st Constitution Amendment Bill

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to secure the support of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) [NCP (SP)] and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for the proposed 131st Constitution Amendment Bill. He urged both regional parties to oppose the legislation, arguing that supporting it would contradict the position they had taken when a similar proposal was debated in Parliament earlier this year.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Chidambaram claimed that the BJP was planning to reintroduce the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill after it failed to secure passage during the April 2026 session of Parliament. According to him, the proposed legislation is being revived despite its earlier rejection and is intended to gather broader political backing in the current session.

The former Union finance minister alleged that although the Bill is presented as a measure to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women, its underlying objective is different. He claimed the legislation could pave the way for delimitation of parliamentary and assembly constituencies and potentially enable gerrymandering, a process in which electoral boundaries are redrawn in a manner that may benefit a particular political party.

Also Read: PM Modi To Visit Punjab, Launch Railway Projects Amid BJP’s Solo Strategy

Chidambaram also argued that a fresh constitutional amendment for women's reservation is unnecessary because the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act has already provided for one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. "Hence there was, and there is, no need for a new Bill to provide reservation for women," he said, contending that the existing constitutional framework already addresses the issue.

Warning the NCP (SP) and the DMK against supporting the legislation, Chidambaram said doing so would amount to a "betrayal" of the principles that guided their opposition to the earlier version of the Bill. He appealed to both parties to maintain their previous stand and resist what he described as attempts to advance a political agenda through the proposed amendment. His remarks come amid renewed political debate over electoral reforms, women's representation, and the possible implications of future delimitation exercises.

The BJP has not publicly responded to Chidambaram's allegations regarding its outreach to the two regional parties or the purpose of the proposed legislation. The 131st Constitution Amendment Bill is expected to remain a key political issue if it is formally reintroduced in Parliament, with opposition parties likely to scrutinise both its stated objectives and its potential impact on India's electoral framework.

Also Read: Datia Bypoll: CM Mohan Yadav And Narottam Mishra Support BJP Candidate