NEW DELHI, APRIL 16: Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha member and BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari on Wednesday lent her unequivocal support to the Delimitation Bill 2026 and the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill introduced in the Lower House, while allaying concerns over the potential marginalisation of southern states in a reconstituted Parliament.

Speaking during the debate on the two bills, Ms. Purandeswari sought to address the apprehension — widely expressed by Opposition members and southern political formations — that a fresh delimitation exercise would result in a net reduction of Lok Sabha seats for states that have performed better on demographic indicators.

No state will lose existing seats, she asserts

Outlining the contours of the Centre's proposal, she said the government's plan to increase the total number of Lok Sabha seats by 50 per cent would ensure that no state loses its current tally of seats. Basing the exercise on the 2011 Census data, she argued, would preserve the existing political balance while accommodating expanded representation commensurate with overall population growth.

"The voice of the southern states will remain as strong as ever in Parliament," she said, adding that the delimitation process would be participatory in nature, with public hearings providing citizens and state governments an opportunity to place their views on record before any final determination is made.

Congress indicted for "deliberate delay" on women's reservation

Turning to the women's reservation provisions embedded in the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, Ms. Purandeswari trained her guns on the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, holding it responsible for what she described as decades of unconscionable delay on a matter of fundamental political justice.

She recalled that the Women's Reservation Bill had been pending since 1996 and that while the Rajya Sabha had passed it in 2010, the UPA government had declined to bring it before the Lok Sabha — a failure she characterised as a deliberate act of political omission. "When Prime Minister Modi is now implementing this on a war footing, it ill behoves the Opposition to obstruct it on frivolous political grounds," she said.

Women as decision-makers, not merely participants

Ms. Purandeswari argued that the reservation of seats for women in legislative bodies would effect a qualitative transformation in the nature of women's participation in public life — elevating them from stakeholders to decision-makers in the truest sense. She invoked the legacy of B.R. Ambedkar, contending that the bill was in consonance with his vision of ensuring political justice for historically underrepresented sections of society.

Concluding her address, she said it was a matter of deep personal pride to be a participant in what she called a historic moment in India's constitutional history.

VIJAYAWADA, April 14: The Bharatiya Janata Party observed the 135th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar at its State headquarters here on Tuesday, with senior party leaders garlanding a portrait of the jurist-statesman and offering floral tributes in his memory.

Addressing the gathering, BJP SC Morcha State president Pantala Suresh said that the party, under State president P.V.N. Madhav, was organising a series of service programmes across Andhra Pradesh to mark the occasion. He emphasised that Ambedkar was not a leader confined to any caste, religion, or region, but a universal leader whose ideology transcended all boundaries. The BJP, he said, would remain at the forefront of carrying that message to the people.

Mr. Suresh said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government had been working in consonance with Ambedkar's ideals, ensuring dignity and opportunity for the most marginalised sections of society. He invoked the principle of Antyodaya — welfare reaching the last person in the social order — as the defining spirit of the Modi government's approach to governance. In this context, he described the Prime Minister as a "nava yuga Ambedkar" — an Ambedkar for the new age.

He added that in Andhra Pradesh, the NDA government under Mr. Madhav's leadership had drawn up a specific action plan for the development of weaker and disadvantaged communities, and that the BJP would always remain committed to the pursuit of social justice.

Among those present were BJP State general secretary Boddu Nagalakshmi, District president Adduri Sriram, Minority Morcha State president Syed Basha, State spokesperson Sheikh Baji, and party leaders Padmaja, Kambhampati Madhavi, Kolapalli Ganesh, Paila Suresh, and Muvvala Venkata Subbayya.

VISAKHAPATNAM, April 14: The Bharatiya Janata Party marked the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in the city on Monday with a formal commemoration at Daaba Gardens, where BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav garlanded a portrait of the Constitution's chief architect and offered floral tributes.

Speaking to the media on the occasion, Mr. Madhav described Ambedkar as a towering figure who breathed life into the ideal of social equality. "The path he showed remains a guiding light for the nation," he said, adding that Ambedkar's vision of social justice and equal rights would continue to serve as an enduring source of inspiration for generations to come.

The BJP State president called upon every citizen to imbibe Ambedkar's principles in their daily lives and work actively towards the building of an egalitarian society. He reiterated that the BJP remained firmly committed to realising the ideals that Ambedkar had espoused.

Senior party functionaries and workers were present at the event.