Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government is mulling bringing two bills in the ongoing Budget session of Parliament to ensure that the proposed women’s reservation law is implemented before the completion of the delimitation exercise for Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies, news agency PTI reported.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah held separate meetings with the floor leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and non-Congress opposition parties to reach a consensus. If the consensus is reached, the two bills could be brought as early as this week, the news agency said, quoting unnamed sources.
PV Midhun Reddy of the YSRCP, Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Supriya Sule of the NCP-SPManoj Jha of the RJD and Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM were among the opposition leaders who attended the meet, the news agency said.
Shah is likely to hold consultations with the Congress in the coming days as well.
The provision for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was introduced by amending the Constitution, but it will come into effect after the completion of the delimitation exercise.
According to the broad contours available, the number of Lok Sabha seats would be increased from the present 543 to 816, with 273 seats reserved for women. The reservation will also be done in a “vertical basis” with seats allocated for SCs and STs.
A similar exercise will be carried out for state assemblies, with seats reserved on a pro rata basis.
While a Constitution amendment bill will tweak the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, commonly known as the women’s reservation law, another ordinary bill will amend the Delimitation Act.
Once approved by Parliament, the proposed laws will come into force on March 31, 2029, and will help reserve seats in the next Lok Sabha elections and in assembly elections in Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Andhra Pradesh.
In 2023, Parliament passed the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam”, which rotationally reserves one-third of all seats for women in the Lower House of Parliament, Lok Sabha, and in all State Legislative Assembliesincluding the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
The Act, though not yet in force, can still be amended by Parliament through another Constitution amendment bill if the government wishes and it receives the required support in both Houses.
The Bill reserves one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. This will also apply to the seats reserved for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures.
Key Takeaways
- The proposed women’s reservation law aims to reserve 33% of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women.
- Implementation of the law is contingent upon the completion of the delimitation exercise and the upcoming census.
- The law is expected to significantly increase women’s political participation by the 2029 elections.
The reservation will be effective after the census is conducted, after the commencement of this Bill has been published. Based on the census, delimitation will be undertaken to reserve seats for women.
But the landmark bill is expected to come into effect after the next nationwide census and subsequent delimitation exercise, with implementation projected for the 2029 general elections.
The 16th Indian Census (2027) is being conducted in two main phases: house listing from April to September 2026, and population enumeration in February 2027. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Parliament in September 2023 that, the women’s reservation Bill will be implemented only after 2029.
But the proposed amendment could increase women’s participation by the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. There is also speculation that it could be implemented by the UP assembly polls scheduled next year.
Participation of Women over the years
The proportion of women contesting Lok Sabha elections in India has increased from 3 per cent in 1957 to 10 per cent in 2024.
Currently, the Lok Sabha has 14% women members. The representation of women in the Lok Sabha ranged between 4% and 8% of the total strength until the late 1990s.
The total number of elected women members increased from 22 in the first Lok Sabha to 78 in the 17th Lok Sabha and 74 in the 18th Lok Sabharepresenting 13.6 per cent of the total members, according to government figures.
In the Rajya Sabha, the total number of women members in 1952 was 15, which is 42 at present – about 17 per cent of the total members.
