Not consulted, but NDA allies on board

Leaders of TDP and JD(U) say they are firmly with the govt on delinking women’s reservation bill from delimitation, Legislators may meet Speaker on Monday

- PREETHA NAIR @New Delhi

EVEN as the Union government has reportedly initiated consultations with some of the main Opposition parties to explore the possibility of decoupling the implementation of women’s reservation from the delimitation exercise, key NDA allies such as Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and JD (U) have indicated that they were not formally consulted on the issue.

However, leaders of both parties said they remain firmly in favour of providing 33% reservation to women in Parliament and state assemblies, irrespective of the procedural debate surrounding delimitation. The parties support greater representation for women in legislatures, said sources.