The Central government presented three crucial Bills in the Lok Sabha on April 16 to expedite the implementation of 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state Assemblies. These Bills include the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The objective is to ensure that women can avail the benefits of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam as early as the 2029 general elections by separating the reservation process from the upcoming Census and delimitation.
The Bills aim to enable women to access 33% reservation in the Lok Sabha by the 2029 general elections. Delimitation, which defines constituency boundaries, is crucial for the implementation of women’s reservation. With the population growth since 1976, an increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha is necessary to ensure fair representation of the populace.
The proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats to 850 follows a proportional expansion approach to maintain representation across all states and union territories. This increase is essential to accommodate the growing population and provide equitable representation in Parliament. The delimitation process would ensure proportional reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, strengthening their representation in the expanded House.
