India’s parliament moved to vote on three amendment bills intended to expand the legislature and accelerate implementation of a law reserving one-third of seats for women. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi called a special session to bring forward the 2023 Women’s Reservation Act, advancing its start from the planned 2029 general elections.
The bills are tied to a contentious Delimitation Bill that would redraw constituency boundaries and reallocate seats using the most recent population census. Opposition parties accuse the BJP-led government of linking the quota to delimitation as a political maneuver that could advantage the ruling coalition ahead of 2029. A 12-hour debate in Parliament featured sharp exchanges between Modi and opposition leaders.
The three bills before legislators
– Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026: proposes raising Lok Sabha seats from 543 to around 850 — roughly 815 from states and 35 from Union Territories — to accommodate reserved seats for women.
– Delimitation Bill, 2026: would establish a Delimitation Commission to reallocate seats in Parliament and state assemblies based on the latest census. Current seat distribution is based on the 1971 census; the 84th Amendment froze boundaries until the first census after 2026.
– Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026: would extend the one-third quota to legislative assemblies in Union Territories, including Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry.
Opposition and regional concerns
While the principle of a women’s quota draws broad support, many opposition and regional parties object to tying reservation to a population-based redistribution. They warn that the change would favor the BJP, which is stronger in more densely populated northern states, and would shift political weight northward — penalizing southern states that achieved lower population growth through family planning and development.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi urged that the quota be applied within the existing 543-seat Lok Sabha. Women currently hold about 14% of seats in the lower house.
Government response
In Parliament, Modi argued the measures would increase women’s participation and bring “half the population into policymaking,” saying the process would be fair and not disadvantage any state. Home Minister Amit Shah presented data intended to reassure southern states that their proportional representation would remain largely unchanged. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin dismissed those assurances as a “calculated deception.”
Legal and procedural developments
A law ministry notification indicated the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023 was brought into force on Thursday, a technical step officials said was needed to operationalize the proposed amendment. Reports noted the provisions cannot be implemented immediately because reservation takes effect only after a fresh delimitation following the next census. Congress Rajya Sabha chief whip Jairam Ramesh called the notification “absolutely bizarre,” questioning why it was activated while related amendments were still under debate.
Vote details
The vote was scheduled for 4 pm (12:30 pm CET). A constitutional amendment requires a special two-thirds majority in Parliament. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance does not hold that supermajority on its own and will need support from smaller parties and some opposition members for passage.