Parliament session 2026: Setback to INDIA bloc! NCP (SP) to back Women's Reservation Bill, Delimitation Bill

In a setback to the INDIA bloc, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) faction will support the Women's Reservation Bill and Delimitation Bill during the upcoming Monsoon Session, sources told India Today.

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP is likely to vote in favour of the two bills despite not being part of the ruling NDA. The government may introduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill during the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning July 20.

Supriya Sule, however, played down the speculation and said that the party hasn't taken an official position yet. 

"There is no official stand of the party as of now. We will discuss the issue within the party and take a decision thereafter," she said at a press conference. The speculation came after a series of meetings took place between the leaders of the ruling NCP and the NCP (SP), including late-night meetings at Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis' official residence Varsha. 

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram claimed that the ruling BJP is wooing the NCP (SP) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to get their backing for the Delimitation Bill. He further urged the two parties not to support the bill. 

In a post on X on Tuesday, Chidambaram said that support to the new version of the "failed Bill" would be a "betrayal" of the NCP (SP) and DMK's own conscience that guided them earlier. 

"The BJP is planning to bring back the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill that failed in the last session of Parliament in April 2026," Chidambaram said in a post on X.

"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," he said.

The former Union minister claimed that the delimitation of constituencies under the current formula would lead to "grave injustice" to the rights of states that 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," he said.