Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday (April 5, 2026) questioned the basis of the proposed women's reservation, asserting that a fresh census must be completed before taking up the issue of reserving seats for women in Parliament and State Assemblies. Numbers, in turn, must be derived from population data, and that comes from a census. If old 2011 data is used to determine the women's population, the very foundation of the reservation becomes incorrect," he said. Accusing the ruling BJP and its allies of attempting to "mislead" women, Mr. Yadav reiterated his party's demand for conducting a fresh census before implementing women's reservation. "Our primary objection is that a census must be conducted first, and only then should the issue of women's reservation be taken up."

Source: The Hindu April 05, 2026 13:52 UTC