The Union Cabinet has approved a draft amendment bill to operationalise the Women’s Reservation Act, aiming to implement 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by the 2029 general elections.
According to The Hindu, the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the draft amendment on 8 April 2026. The amendment seeks to revise the implementation framework of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, formally known as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, which was passed in 2023.
The bill is intended to ensure that the reservation is in place for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
As reported by The Indian Express, the proposed amendment will increase the total number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816, reserving 273 seats for women.
The reservation will follow a vertical quota system, ensuring representation within Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
The government plans to use 2011 Census data for the delimitation process, advancing the timeline for implementation and avoiding delays associated with the 2027 Census. A special session of Parliament is scheduled to consider the bill.
As highlighted by Hindustan Times, the amendments will serve as a blueprint for similar changes in state assemblies.
The law ministry is finalising two pieces of legislation: one to delink women’s reservation from the census and another to establish a delimitation commission.
The proportional representation of each state will remain unchanged, addressing concerns from southern states about potential reductions in their representation.
“The bill will give us a formula of how the seats earmarked for women will be chosen at both levels (Parliament and state assemblies),” an official stated, as cited in the coverage.
Further details indicate that the Delimitation Bill, also cleared by the Cabinet, proposes a 50 percent increase in the number of seats in both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
The government intends to bring multiple bills to Parliament during the special session scheduled from 16 to 18 April. The proposal includes amending Constitutional provisions that currently limit the strength of the Lok Sabha and assemblies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to women across India to support the passage of the amendment, stating that the legislation “cannot be deferred any longer.”
His remarks emphasised the need for collective action and highlighted the government’s engagement with all political parties to ensure broad support for the bill.
Political parties have responded with varying perspectives. Coverage revealed that the Congress Working Committee is set to deliberate on the government’s move, with some opposition leaders expressing concerns about the timing and potential electoral implications of the amendments.
“We do not want any disturbance in the present differentials and relative strength,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated, cautioning against hasty constitutional changes regarding delimitation.
The amendments are designed to fast-track women’s reservation and address long-standing demands for increased female representation in legislative bodies.
The Congress party is expected to discuss its stance on the amendments at an upcoming working committee meeting. Reporting indicated that the meeting will also address related issues such as the proposed delimitation exercise and recent developments in West Asia.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.