During a parliamentary session, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticized the Indian government's implementation of a 33% reservation for women in parliament and state assemblies, describing it as a strategy to alter the electoral map through delimitation. He asserted that this move, ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, is a 'panic reaction' aimed at showcasing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as pro-women, especially before elections in states like Bengal and Tamil Nadu, where women voters are influential. Gandhi emphasized that this is not a genuine women's empowerment initiative but rather an attempt to disadvantage states that have effectively controlled their population growth, primarily in the south. He warned that the government's actions could lead to a reconfiguration of political representation that favors northern, Hindi-speaking states where the BJP has a stronghold. Despite the government's assurances that no state will be disadvantaged, opposition leaders, including MK Stalin of Tamil Nadu and Revanth Reddy of Telangana, have raised concerns about the implications of the delimitation process, arguing it could undermine representation for smaller and southern states. Gandhi called for the return of the original Women's Reservation Bill, which was passed in 2023, to ensure genuine empowerment for women.